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The Resources, 
Wealth 



Industrial Development 



-OF- 



COLORADO. 



Published by the 

Agricultural Department, Colorado Exhibit, 

AT THE 

World's Columbian Exposition, 
June I, 1893. 



Press of C. M. Collier. 



This pamphlet, representing the resources and indus- 
trial development of Colorado, was prepared under the 
auspices of the Colorado World's Fair Board of man- 
agers, having the indorsement of the Executive of the 
State, together with the commercial bodies of the various 
counties, and is presented with the compliments of 

C. S. FAUROT, 

Supt. Agricultural Department for Colorado, 

World's Columbian Exposition. 



Introductory. 



IT is the purpose of this pamphlet to aid the reader in forming some 
definite conception of the immensity and varied character of 
Colorado's industrial resources. To this end a brief review of 
each separate industry is presented, showing the great possibilities of 
the State in combination. For the information of inquirers concern- 
ing advantages of location, investment of capital or pursuit of trade, 
a descriptive and statistical report of each county is given, showing in 
detail the distribution of wealth, material resources and the peculiar 
advantages and attractions of the respective localities, according to 
their merits. 



Industries of Colorado. 



THE wheels of progress have turned rapidly in Colorado. They 
now keep pace with the whirling machinery of all the indus- 
trial world, and each successive year leaves a record of advance- 
ment unequalled in the history of civilization. The eminent states- 
men who formed our National Congress half a century ago derided 
the idea of white settlement being possible west of the Missouri 
river. No portion of the great West has played a more conspicuous 
part than Colorado in the changes which have been wrought in 
national history since those times. 

The first settlement in Colorado was made by a party of gold 
seekers, who located on the site of Denver in 1858. The first discov- 
ery of gold was made in the spring of 1859, and it was the fame of 
this discovery that gave rise to the memorable Pike's Peak flood of 
immigration, which became the basis of the present population and 
also the beginning of the wonderful industrial development of to-day. 
Colorado was organized as a territory in 1S61, and when admitte<l as 
a State in the Union in 1S76 had a p>upulation of only 65,000. By 
the census of 1S90, it was accorded a population of 412,000. Its actual 
population in 1S93 can safely be estimated at 450,000. 

Attracted by the great wealth and diversity of Colorado's natural 
resources, the more intelligent and courageous have come to the new 
country to bring it imder the control of their genius and their labor. 
They have come from the fields and shops and the luxurious homes 
of North America, and they have come from every civilizetl quarter 
of the globe. So that it is the concentrated energy and genius of the 
world that is developing Colorado. lu all the departments of industry 
the State is only in the primary stage of its development, with bound- 
less wealth in the possibilities of its soil for agriculture, in its enor- 
mous treasures of silver and gold, in its vast deposits of coal and iron, 
and its immeasurable and diversified resources for manufacture. 

The natural advantages of Colorado present a surprising study to 
people abroad. The State comprises an area of 103,477 square miles, 
or 66,205,875 acres. It has two natural divisions— mountains and 
plains. The mountains are filled with the precious metals, with 
coal, iron and stone, with marble and granite and innumerable min- 
erals of commerce and manufacture. In silver and gold it is the 
largest pro<lucer in America. The great park system of the Rocky 
Mountains, embracing the famous San Luis Park, South Park, Middle 
Park and North Park, comprises an area collectively larger than that 
of Ohio. These parks are valuable for stock raising and agriculture 
and contain some of the notrd wHtcrint' place resorts, hunting and 
fishing grounds of Colorado. 



RESOURCB6 OF COLORADO. 5 

The plains east of the mountains constitute more than one-third 
of the total area of the State, and the lands everywhere possess a 
rich soil, highly productive of all manner of crops wherever water 
can be applied, wheat, oats, rye, barley corn, potatoes and alfalfa 
being the principal crops. In the eastern tier of counties crops are 
successfully grown without irrigation. The western slope of the 
mountains comprise level mesas and broad valleys, the latter watered 
by numerous streams, being extremely rich in soil and productive to 
a high degree of all the fruits and cereals of the temperate zone. 
The mesas possess great fertility, especially adapted to fruit culture. 
Separated from all these sections by mountain ranges, the plains 
and valleys of South westera Colorado, embracing a large territory, 
are equally rich in soil and bountifully productive of orchard, field 
and garden crops. 

Within the mountain division, the State has its water supply from 
numerous rivers, creeks and springs, which, starting in little rivulets 
from the snow banks at lofty altitudes, ripple down the steep inclines 
and unite their forces in the valleys below. Thus the eight principal 
rivers of the State— the Arkansas, the South Platte, the Rio Grande, 
the San Juan, the Gunnison, the White, the Yampa and the Grand, 
are formed, together with their numerous tributaries, giving ample 
water supply for irrigation, leading in all directions through the prin- 
cipal agricultural sections of the State. These water-courses have also 
been useful in marking out thfe lines of pioneer travel, leading the 
way to the great gold and silver discoveries, and in later years indis- 
pensable as affording routes for the railroads through mountain canons 
to the mining camps and great agricultural valleys of the State. They 
have also opened the way for lines of railway through the State and 
across the continent. 

Until of recent years, Colorado was known abroad only as a min- 
ing and grazing country. Within the past ten years the birth of new 
industries has been numerous, and their growth phenomenal. Min- 
ing, with its immense yield of wealth, is of secondary importance 
when compared with the combined industries of the State. Agricul- 
ture has taken great strides of progress within the past five years, and 
the revenue derived from the soil is fully equal to that of all 
mineral production. There are 1,844,500 acres now in cultivation 
under the irrigation system, and there are in addition 2,238,238 acres 
under ditch, unoccupied and awaiting settlement and tillage at the 
han^s of the immigrant farmer. 

Not only this. There are many millions of acres, rich in soil, 

'that must eventually be brought under tillage by the new systems 

now being promoted for the increase and the more economic use of 

the water supply. No field in the United States is more promising 

to the farmer of the future. 

The live-stock industry ©f Colorado is one of the permanent 
sources of wealth. The well-regulated stock farm is a leading feature 
of the business, and the cultivation of blooded cattle and fine stock 



C THE INDUSTRIES AND 

on the farm has become an extensive and profitable branch of the 
industry. 

Of coal, iron, lead, copper, stone, marble and granite there is an 
ample supply for thousands of years to come, and the fine clays for 
manufacture and building are in supply beyond the range of compu- 
tation. Petroleum exists in many parts, and one developed field 
supplies the State and many outside markets with refined oil and the 
lubricants. Manufacture is taking great prominence throughout the 
State and at leading cities, there are iron works and foundries, roll- 
ing mills and factories, woolen mills, cotton mills, paper mills, and 
an innumerable variety of less important establishments in successful 
operation, all combining, in their primary stage, in starting the new 
era of manufacturing in the West. 

Not the least among Colorado's advantages is its healthful climate 
and the many splendid mineral springs and delightful health resorts 
distributed throughout the mountains, which have become attractive 
and beneficial to many thousands of invalids and pleasure seekers in 
their annual visits to the West 

The gain which the State made in population from 1875 to 1885 
was 147,163, and the gain in the succeeding five years was 216,645. 
Population in 1S90 (census), 410,809. Estimated population in 1893, 
450,000. 

With a combination of industries and material resource so varied 
and so abundant, Colorado stands unstirpassed by any country in the 
world in its inducements to the home-seeker and the capitalist — to 
the former a promise of a home with peace and plenty, to the latter 
the opportunity of fortune. 



Agriculture. 

THE progress that has been made within the past ten years in the 
agricultural development of Colorado is a striking fulfillment 
of a remarkable prophecy. The prophecy is singular because 
of its extravagance, the source from which it came, the remote period 
in the past at which it was uttered, and Ijecause of the more recent 
corroborative declarations many years before civilization had made 
a foot-print west of the Missouri river. In the year 1831, when the 
western l>oundaries of American settlement clung closely to"the 
Mississippi river, M. DeTotjueville, the learned French statesman 
and political economist, made a journey through portions of the 
sterile and savage West, as emissary of his nation. His report com- 
prised a volume of scholarly literature, entitle<l " Democracy." In a 
note of his observations upon the arid region, his prophecy concern- 
ing it ran as follows: 

"To the south-west, Mexico presents a barrier to the Anglo- Ameri- 
cans. Thus the Spaniard and the Anglo-American are, properly 



^ 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 7 

speaking, the two races which divide the possessions of the new world. 
The limits of separation between them have been settled by treaty. 
* * Vast provinces extending beyond the frontier of the Union 
toward Mexico are still destitute of inhabitants. The natives of the 
United States will people these solitary regions before their rightful 
owners. They will take possession of the soil and establish social 
institutions, so that when the legal owner at length arrives he will 
find the wilderness under cultivation and strangers quietly settled in 
the midst of his inheritance. Even the countries which are already 
peopled will have some diflSculty in securing themselves from this 
invasion." 

Whatever prophetic power might have inspired the writer, doubt- 
less he looked forward a century or more for the realization of the 
vision. Within less than a generation the forces were at work and 
the movement had begun toward the present high state of civilization 
in Colorado and all the West, which is now an exact fulfillment of 
De Toqueville's prophecy. 

Then thirteen years after De Toqueville, there came another 
prophet, who, upon a mission of personal curiosity and interest as a 
student of the world's history, traveled over much of the ground 
viewed by his predecessor, and at the very spot which has become the 
center of this civilization and the nucleus of that industrial develop- 
ment predicted by De Toqueville, his corroborative prophecy was 
made. This was in 1844. The purpose of his journey from the 
Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean was to solve two problems, 
namely, first: The feasibility of a transcontinental railway route, and 
second, whether or not the arid plains and the prairies could become 
cultivable auf^. habitable. On his return from the Coast in 1S44, sur- 
rounded by hostile Indians, beset by the more savage beasts of the 
wilderness, and camping one night upon the ground where the 
magnificent City of Denver now stands, in the presence of four wan- 
dering white companions, who had drifted together by chance, this 
man made the prophecy that he would live to see all this wild waste 
of country come under the dominion of civilized Americans; that the 
plains would be cultivated and bring forth fruits and grain; that the 
mountains would yield great treasure of silver and gold, and that the 
very ground upon which he stood would be the site of a great city, 
the center of commerce and the metropolis of the West. 

IVonderful prophecy! Astounding fulfillment! Farms, homes, 
towns, cities, villages dotting the plains, nestling in the valleys and 
crowning the mountain heights ! Two millions of acres of agricul- 
tural land under cultivation in the State! the value of the products 
of agriculture, mining and manufacture reaching one hundred and 
forty million dollars a year! Assessed valuation of the State, I240,- 
000,000; estimated real valuation, $720,000,000. Four hundred and 
fifty thousand people in the State and the magnificent City of Denver, 
with a population of 150,000 souls! 



3 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

At a later date and while at the time standing singly and alone in 
a controversy with such eminent statesmen as Clay, Calhoun and 
Webster in the Senate of the United States, this same distinguished 
citizen gave utterance to the following prophecy in an oration which 
is to this day preserved with the archives of the Nation. He said: 

" The West is destined to surpass in agriculture, stock raising, 
mining, and eventually, in manufacture. Every advantage seems to 
be hers, save only greater proximity to Europe, and if the East 
commands European commerce the Golden Gate opens upon Asia 
and sends her argosies to all the ports of the broad Pacific. Beyond, 
perad venture, the West is to dominate the East." 

These words were spoken at the time when the white man of 
America was fighting with the Indian for a foot-hold and a habitation 
on the western banks of the Missouri River. 

In less than twenty years from that time the plow had made great 
furrows in Colorado and the virgin soil brought forth in generous fold 
at the touch of intelligent cultivation. 

The First Crops. 

The beginning of agricultural development in Colorado was on a 
scale exceedingly small. Narrow strips of bottom land along the 
small streams near the foot-hills were cultivated as early as iS6o, but 
at first only vegetables were raised. For some years afterward the 
raising of wheat and other grains was more the work of experiment 
than as a distinctive business enterprise. The methwls of seeding, 
cultivating and harvesting were the most primitive known to Ameri- 
cans, and the first wheat ready for the thrasher was trampetl out by 
horses or beaten out with the flail of ancient use. Until after 1865, 
there were no crops of commercial imp>ortance and no quotations of 
prices. Hay, as it was harvested, mainly from the native grasses, 
constituted the principal crop. The harvesting of hay for the pur- 
pose of keeping and fattening the horses of the settlers and stock 
traders of those early times was the principal source of revenue to 
the farmers. All other products were mostly for home consumption. 
The surplus was sold, usually at exhorbitant rates, in the Denver 
market. 

From 1S60 to 1870, the greater part of all the pro<luce and all the 
provisions, clothing, etc., consumed in Colorado towns, mining camps, 
and even upon the ranches, were hauled across the plains by ox teams, 
a distance of 6ou miles, the enormous freight rates more than doubling 
the commercial value of the staple articles, while many things of 
lowest value were thus placed at highest price. 

Everything for consumption or for use in the industries just com- 
ing into life, even the lumber which entered into many of the pioneer 
buildings, and the see<l3 with which the crops were planted, were thus 
carted across the plains, amid the perils of savage life, and many • 
rich caravan was looteil by the Indians, and the bones of men, women 
and children slaughtered left to bleach upon the desolate plains. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 9 

In i860, wheat sold in Denver at 7 cents per pound; potatoes, 8 
cents ; hay, $15 to $30 per ton, and during hard winters it went up to 
$50 and |i-i>o per ton. 

As late as 1865 many of the staple articles were not to be had at 
any price, even in the markets of Denver. There is on record in that 
year an instance wherein a single sack of Irish potatoes was sold for 
|6o to a Denver grocer, who retailed them at 60 cents per pound 
and said he lost money by it. As showing the range of enormous 
prices prevailing in that year (1865) for the necessaries and the luxu- 
ries, the following is a true copy of a cancelled bill upon the books 
of a pioneer Denver merchant: 

To , Br- 

To 3 pounds bacon at 40 cents $ i 20 

2% pounds butter . . . • 3 o" 

2 pounds dried blackberries i 5" 

24 pounds flour 5 25 

^ pound of tea '75 

2 plugs tobacco '5° 

I box matches ^5 

6 pounds sugar 2 40 

i]4 pounds pork 4 47 

3 quarts syrup 3 45 

I can corn ■ '40 

I sack salt 2 40 

I can peaches '25 

5 pounds coffee 4 00 

10 pounds potatoes 2 03 

These first farm operations were confined to a small area, princi- 
pally in Boulder and Jefiferson counties, a- few miles only from th« 
small village of Denver, which was then, as it now is, the center of 
population and trade. The first irrigation of which there is any record 
was the construction, in 1861, of a small ditch taking the water out 
of Boulder Creek at a point which is now the Twelfth street bridge in 
the City of Boulder. This watered a small area of valley land within 
the immediate neighborhood. The second ditch, constructed a year 
or two later, which received the name of the Farmers' Ditch, carried 
the water over the plateau to the north of Boulder, a distance of 
some miles, establishing the first example in the system of true irri- 
gation which has become so widespread in the present day. 

During these earlier years, however, as immigration increased, 
settlements multi^-lied along the rich valleys of Boulder creek, the St. 
Vrain, the Little Thompson, the Big Thompson, the Cache la Poudre, 
the Platte river and others of its tributaries forming the great Platte 
valley, which is now the great agricultural center of Colorado, 
embraced within the counties of Arapahoe, Jefferson, Boulder, Lari- 
mer and Weld, and now extending from the base of the mountains to 
the north-eastern limits of the State. Before the farmer came this cen- 
tral ground in the valley of the Platte had become historic and famous 
by the exploits of John C. Fremont and Major Stephen S. Long, 
coincident with the daring deeds of such famous frontiersmen as Kit 
Carson, Jim Bridger, Jim Baker, Jim Beckwith and others, who, in 
the early days constituted the videttes of the civilization of the coun- 
try. It was upon these grounds, while still the savage red man held 
dominion of the plains, that the spirit of agricultural enterprise first 



10 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

found a permanent abiding, and in the valleys of all these streams 
scattered about at wide intervals, the pioneer farmers built their 
homes, cultivated the lands, sustaining their families and producing 
a scanty surplus for dependent settlements, and laying the founda- 
tion for preat development in the future. But the extension of agri- 
culture in a general way to the uplands and the planting of cereals, 
except to a very limited degree, did not occur until about 1S70, which 
ushered in the railroad era. In the same year the famous Greeley 
colony, under the leadership of the celebrated editor and statesman, 
Horace Greeley, came, locating in Weld county on the present site 
of the City of Greeley, establishing the first farms in what is now 
known in Colorado as the great Cache la Poudre and Platte Valley 
agricultural section, the leading wheat and potato proclucer of the 
State. Until this time the true development of agriculture had been 
retarded, because the extensive irrigation required involved the con- 
struction of great canals at large expense, and the majority of farm- 
ers, still small in number, were too poor for such undertakings. 
Again, from the lack of experience with the climatic and other con- 
ditions of the country, development proceeded slowly. The crops 
were of uncertain yield and not generally relied upon as a source 
of supply. 

True Development of Ajjrriculture. 

Since 1870, one of the finest and most extensive systems of irrigat- 
ing canals in the world has been constructed, and it is from that time 
hither that husbandry has attained al>out all the triumpl,is worthy of 
record. It is also essential to note that all the development which 
entitles Colorado to first-class rank as an ajjriculturdl State has 
occurred within the past ten years. The progress that has been made 
within this period is shown more effectually by official statistics of 
irrigation and agriculture than by any elaborate statement of facts, 
though they compose a marvelous and fascinating story. 

In 18S0, when the State contained a population of only 154,000, 
Colorado imported 500,000 bushels of wheat and flour for home con- 
sumption, 2,000,000 bushels of corn, 500,000 bushels of potatoes, 
1,000,000 bushels of oats and 100.000 tons of hay. At that time there 
were only 600 miles of irrigating canals in the State. In 1893, with a 
population of 45o,(xx), there are 12,406 miles of irrigating canals and 
ditches in the State, representing 4,855 ditches and 4.0S2.738 acres of 
highly productive lands, acces.sible to water. Of this vast area 
1,844,500 acres are actually irrigated and under cultivation. Added 
to this must be taken into account a numljcr of scattered areas where 
the land is tilled without artificial irrigation and a safe estimate of 
the total area actually embraced within the farm lands of the State 
would be 2,000,000 acres, though it is not designed to convey the 
impression that an area so enormous in proportion to the population 
is closely cultivate*! with every acre bearing its harvests. It is state<l 
upon the authority of the State Engineer, that by its economical use 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. H 

the annaal water supply is sufl5cient to irrigate all of the 4,000,000 
acres and more now under diteh. Thus in land and water, (leaving 
out of account, if need be, the millions of acres of non-irrigated, but 
productive lands), Colorado has now the agricultural resource for the 
maintenance of additional millions of population. 

Distribution ol Agricultural Areas. 

The distribution of agricultural areas in Colorado, with reference 
to natural streams, the valleys, parks and plains, with reference to 
elevation and climate and the products the more successfully grown, 
relative to the sections respectively described, is a most interesting 
study. In fact it now becomes the most valuable point of information 
to the home-seeker. The horticulturist will naturally seek a fruit 
growing country. Another, may prefer the land of corn and the 
melons, while many may choose the sections where the cereals yield 
the best returns for the labor and capital invested. 

Taking the State as a whole, every cereal, fruit, root and grass 
cultivable in the temperate zone can be profitably grown in Colorado. 
The Colorado farmer is now puzzled to determine, out of the multi- 
tude of varieties of successful crops that which he should cultivate 
for the best success and the greatest profit. The best adaptability 
shown thus far is for the culture of wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, 
potatoes, fruits, alfalfa and all the hay-making grasses. The leading 
crops in the order of their importance, as cultivated, are wheat, oats, 
alfalfa and potatoes. Whether of field or orchard, the culture of a 
single crop, either of fruit or grain or grass, can be made an industry 
of profit. Everywhere it is a great country for garden vegetables of 
every description, aad these products are unexcelled in any country 
of the world, while the average yield per acre is enormous. Small 
fruits are prolific to a marvelous degree. In several counties both on 
the eastern and western sides of the Continental range, both upon 
the farms and at the United States experimental stations, successful 
crops of a very fine high grade Havana leaf tobacco have been 
raised, the plant meeting every condition of climate and coming to 
maturity in due season. 

The crops in their varieties that are most profitably grown have 
been shown. They are the most profitable because being the predom- 
inating crops. But it might be properly mentioned in this connection 
that there is greater profit per acre in barley than in any of the more 
universally cultivated cereals. The peculiar adaptability of soil and 
climate matures barley to a higher degree of excellance than else- 
where in the Union. Greater than all, are the profits of the orchard, 
which as yet is an industry extremely young, but most precocious in 
growth. Colorado is destined to be the great fruit producer of the 
West. 

All this great combination of products are grown in every agricul- 
tural section of the State, but the special adaptability of certain crops 



12 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

to the respective divisions of the State is the question now to be con- 
sidered for the benefit of the immigrant farmer seeking a location in 
the West. 

Rich soil, excellence of product and speedy returns in the markets 
close at hand, are the strongest attractions to the farmer seeking a 
new location. Colorado offers unrivalled advantages in all these 
requisites. The yield per acre depends upou location, soil, climatic 
influences and melhotls adopted in the cultivation of the crops. The 
farm lands of Colorado have not less than five natural divisions 
with reference to soil and climate as well as geographical position. 
These divisions are the northern and southern portions of the open 
plains east of the Continental range ; the valleys, mesas and parks of 
Southern Colorado, lying east and west of the mountains, and the 
valleys and mesas of the western slope. The principal areas for 
wheat and other cereals are the northern, southern, western south- 
western and extreme eastern portions of the State. Corn culture is 
confined principally to the Arkansas valley and the eastern tier of 
counties, the former section being peculiarly adapted to corn and also 
to fruit culture. Wheat and other cereals grow successfully in all 
tillable lands of Western Colorado and crops of high average are 
raised annually ; but this is essentially a fruit growing country, and 
the best efforts of the settlers in this new country are devoted to the 
orchards and the vineyards, the oldest of them having an existence 
of only ten years, but unsurpassed in the generous yield and excel- 
lence of their fruits. Potatoes, alfalfa and all other grasses and 
clovers grow in great abundance in all portions of the State. Classed 
among the experimental crops. are such products as sorghum, buck- 
wheat, navy beans, broom-corn, hops, sugar beets, hemp, flax, 
tobacco and other plants that have proven successful. These crops 
are experimental only in the sense that their culture has not been 
extensively adopted. Any one of these products might be selected 
out of the great variety and made profitable as a specialty. Hop cul- 
ture especially, is destined to become an industry of great importance. 

The State is divided into six great irrigation divisions, arranged 
according to the natural drainage represented by the principal 
streams, namely, the Platte, the Arkansas, the Rio Grande, the San 
Juan, the Grand, the Green and the White and Yampa rivers. These 
are divided into sixty-seven districts, each district being under con- 
trol of a water commissioner. 

Northern Colorado. 

The division of the Platte comprises the agricultural section of 
Northern Colorado, watered by the Platte, the St. Vrain, the Cache la 
Poudre and their numerous tributaries. It embraces Jefferson, Boul- 
der, Larimer, Weld, and a small portion of Arapahoe county. This 
is the agricultural heart of the State. It was fir.st settled, had the 
earliest and best markets, and is the richest and best developeil 
Agricultural portion of the State. While all field crops and orchards 
thrive in this section, the leading products are wheat, alfalfa, oats and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 13 

potatoes, Weld county being the banner wheat and potato producer. 
Within the last few years, particularly in localities in easy communi- 
cation with Denver, there has been a very decided growth in many of 
the lighter forms of agriculture, such as dairying, apiculture, gardea- 
ing, horticulture and the like. The production of fruits, vegetables, 
milk, butter, honey, etc., is now among the leading sourees of revenue 
to the farmers of Northern Colorado, all these products having ready 
market at good prices in Denver and other cities of the plains. 

This is the portion of the State that is settled in all the courses of 
industrial life, where all the industries required under present condi- 
tions are in operation and all the material resources in process of 
development. It is in that self-sustaining condition of independence 
that it may be symbolized as an individual having the full-sized form 
and strength of an adult, but yet having many years to grow. Its 
fields are fully occupied and highly cultivated under the irrigation 
system, and its cities and towns with their concomitant industries, 
have grown in equal measure with the general thrift of the land and 
its people. The country is rich and strong, as a result of development, 
and still possessing unknown wealth of natural resource, thus contin- 
uing to be an inviting field for capital and labor. All available 
agricultural land being under proprietorship, the prices range much 
higher than in the newly-opened sections, and, are therefore not so 
accessible to the immigrant seeking a cheap home, which may be 
found in locations equally favorable. But to the person who prefers 
the conveniences and luxuries of a well-populated and well-ordered 
country, the northern portion of Colorado oflFers every attraction and 
every advantage of business success. 

While the five counties named are properly designated as the agri- 
cultural portion of Northern Colorado, in its broadest sense the val- 
ley of the Platte to which all streams in this division are tributary, 
comprises all of North eastern Colorado, its water-shed covering an 
area, approximately, of 21,000 square miles, or about one-fifth of the 
area of the State. It flows through, or touches nine counties through- 
out its course to its exit into Nebraska. Within this magnificent 
domain are the resources of an empire. The area embraced in the 
irrigated counties of Arapahoe, Jefferson, Boulder, Larimer and Weld, 
is of itself, an empire of wealth. It numbers 1,200 irrigating ditches, 
with an aggregate length of 3,500 miles, and covering 1,100,000 acres 
of laud, of which at least 700,000 acres are actually irrigated and 
cultivated. It had, according to the last census, a population of 
176,115, but which can safely be stated at 200,000, or nearly one-half 
the population of the State. lu the five counties named are 350 
school-houses and school-property valued at ^3,000,000. There are 
725 miles of railway within the same area or about one-fifth of the 
entire mileage of the State. The assessed value of property in the 
district is $124,327,259. More than one-half the whole assessment 
of the State, and indicating an actual wealth of 1373,000,000. With 



14 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

the City of Denver as its metropolis, this section is destined to be 
the great uaaufacturing center, us it now is the commercial magnate 
of the Great West. 

The Arkansas Valley. 

The division of the Arkansas embraces the counties of Pueblo, 
Otero, Bent and Prowers, comprising the largest area of agricultural 
land in the State. The Arkansas Valley as an agricultural country 
represents the most marvelous transformation from the natural condi- 
tions of sterile waste to a state of high cultivation in the history of 
western settlement. In iSSo the whole countrj' was a barren plain, 
with naught but sand and buffalo grass in view, and the immigrant 
farmer passed through the country in search of agricultural lands 
further west. A few farmers settled in the valley in iSSi, and the first 
test of the soil proved surprisingly successful. From that da\^ popu- 
lation increased. The greatest development has taken place within 
the past five years, the original county of Bent having, during that 
time, been divided into four counties, owing to the increased popula- 
tion and the change in conditions whereby the great cattle range had 
been converted into a country of farms. The Arkansas River courses 
centrally through, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa F6 and the 
Missouri Pacific railways traverse the country on either side the 
stream. Numerous large irrigating canals have been constructed, 
taking their .tortuous routes for hundreds of miles through lands that 
have no superior in America for richness of soil, for capabilities of 
varied production. The desolation of a few years ago has been con- 
verted into vistas of lovely landscape, adorned with towns and villages, 
with beautiful fields and delightful country homes. Everywhere the 
soil is deep, rich and highly productive of grain and grass and fruit. 
All the cereals thrive with a high average protluction. Soil and 
climate are especially ailapted to corn. It will be the leading cora 
country of the State, while the orchard and the vineyard in the 
Arkansas Valley will become one of the great industries of the State 
in the future. The climate is agreeable, lands are cheap, and every 
condition favorable to farming. The valley contains millions of fine 
acres open to settlement. 

DlN'isiou of the Rio Oraiide. 

This division comprises the famous San Luis Valley, embracing 
large proportions of Saguache, Rio Grande, Costilla and Conejos 
counties. This is one of the most lovely stretches of agricultural 
country in the world. It is known on the maps as San Luis Park, 
being a part of the great park system of the Rocky Mountains. It 
comprises an area of many thousand sijuare miles. It is centrally 
located among the southern tier of counties and fringed on all sides 
by the high mountains, its soil being enriched by the disintegrating 
masses, as they have washed down through countless ages from these 
lofty places. Soil and climate are favorable for agriculture and the 
live stock industry. The leading crops are wheat, oats and potatoes. 
Other field pro<luct8 that thrive are barley, rye, alfalfa and other 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 15 

grasses and clovers. All the hardy vegetables grow in great abund- 
ance and attain enormous size. In this valley the highest maximum 
yield in wheat and oats ever known in the State have been attained. 
Its greatest development as an agricultural country has occurred 
since 1SS5. Being supplied by nature with an abundance of water, it 
is equipped with a system of irrigation unsurpassed in the State. 
Numerous agricultural settlements have been made, and the valley 
is dotted with towns and villages. The wheat crop of 1892 is esti- 
mated at 500,000 bushels, which is an enormous yield, according to 
the acreage sown. San Luis Valley is surrounded by rich mining 
camps, including the great Creede camp with which it enjoys railroad 
connection, and is thus assured of a constant cash market for every- 
thing it produces from the soil. 

The "Western Slope." 

The division of the Grand comprises the priacipal agricultural 
area of Western Colorado, or the *' Western Slope" as it is called as a 
distinguishing term. The Grand River flows through the northern 
portion of Mesa county, forming a junction with the Gunnison River 
which flows through portions of Montrose and Delta, the two main 
streams and their numerous tributaries draining Montrose, Delta, 
Mesa and Garfield counties, which comprise the great farming and 
fruit growing section of Western Colorado. The Grand Valley proper 
in Mesa county, with the City of Grand Junction in the center, is 
what is distinctively known as the great orchard and vineyard of the 
State. 

This country has a history of peculiar interest. It formed a f»art 
of the Indian Reservation and was the favorite land of the Utes until 
their final removal in 18S2, in which year the first white settlements 
were made in the Grand Valley. Agricultural development began in 
a small way in 18S3, when the many advantages of industrial resource 
became known to the outside world. The tide of immigration set in 
that direction and in the two or three successive years the wild aspect 
of the country along the main streams was converted into homes and 
farms, towns and villages, and all the industries of a commonwealth 
were put in motion. All this great western portion of the State 
possesses immense wealth in the precious metals, in iron, coal, stone, 
marble and many other resources, and is especially adapted 
to stock-raising. While the country is productive of all the 
ordinary farm crops, the early settlers discovered the superior advant- 
ages of soil and climate for the cultivation of fruit. Orchards and 
vineyards were speedily planted and the first year of bearing proved 
a success exceeding all expectations. Population rapidly increased, 
farms were planted to the cereals and hay-making grasses, and large 
areas were planted in vineyards and orchards, embracing all manner 
of fruits excepting only the citrous varieties. The results during the 
nine years of development, after only six years of actual production 
from the tree and the vine, have been marvelous. Hundreds of miles 
of irrigating canals have been constructed, and many thousands of 



1(5 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

acres placed under cultivation. The fields have yielded with generous 
response in grain, while the orchards have been burdened to the 
ground with their prolific bearing of the most luscious fruits. Peaches, 
pyears, apples, plums, cherries, nectarines and apricots are the princi- 
pal tree fruits. The peach becomes the leading crop in the Grand 
Valley. This is peculiarly the home of this fruit. It has no superior 
in the world for richness of flavor, far surpassing the California peach 
in this essential point of excellence. The small fruits are the goose- 
berry, currant, raspberry, strawberry and blackberry. Strawberries 
grow large in size, exceedingly fine of flavor and in great abundance. 
Grapes grow in great profusion, of fine size and richest flavor. All 
the varieties are grown successfully and the choicest California varie- 
ties are not surpassed in their native soil. In the culture of the grape 
and the peach, Colorado has, in so brief a period, become the rival 
of t-hat great fruit growing State, supplanting its products in the local 
market and also in popular favor wherever the Colorado product finds 
its way. Time has been too brief for the cultivation of the soil and 
the development of the orchards to their full capacity^ but in these 
first steps of fruit growing, the average orchard in full bearing gives 
a return of $500 per acre, strawberries |20o to J300, and grapes from 
$300 to ^400 per acre. But the orchards have not yet reached more 
than half their capacity. When the trees have reached their full size 
and mature bearing period, their present protluction will have doubled. 
By this time thousands of acres of new orchards will have come into 
bearing. Then indeed will begin the era of great commercial import- 
ance of the fruit industry of Colorado. 

What these revelations of time will be is well illustrated by the 
experience of the first settler and pioneer fruit-grower, who located 
on the North Fork of the Gunnison, in Delta county. This man hav- 
ing already selected his location, went into the country immediately 
following the exit of the Indians, taking with him a trunk filled with 
nursery trees in variety which he planted. These trees having now 
fully matured after a growth of ten years, the owner recently picked 
from one tree ^52 worth of peaches. A year or two after his settle- 
ment, this farmer (Mr. Wade) planted a large orchard with all the 
variety of tree fruits, including also an extensive vineyard. In 1SS9, 
these trees and the vineyard came into their first gooti bearing. In 
1S90, Mr. W. sold to B. six acres embracing the varieties at the rate 
of $360 per acre, or a total sum of |2,i6o. In the next two seasons 
(1891-92I B. sold from his two crops a sufficient amount of fruit to 
pay the purchase price and had fi^x> left after detlucting all living 
expenses for self and a large family. Since that time he has refused 
JI500 an acre for his small but wealthy fruit farm. Instances of alike 
results have been repeated in Delta, Mesa and Montrose counties. 
Each of these ooiiiities possess peculiar advantages of agriculture 
and horticulture, though it is true of Delta that its possibilities of 
cereal pro<luclion are fully equal to its capabilities for fruit, while in 
Montrose county general agriculture and stock-growing take pre- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. I7 

cedence of all other industries, at the same time showing great possi- 
bilities of fruit culture. While the Grand Valley has become so noted 
for its peaches, the prolific and splendid production of the pear and 
apple in Montrose and Delta, it is believed by some leading fruit- 
growers, will in time, establish these two fruits as the leading orchard 
products of Western Colorado. However, in the present status of 
the industry, the Grand Valley in Mesa county is the favored section, 
and the leading producer for all varieties of fruits, the orchards and 
vineyards having the advantage of age, the country having a much 
larger and better development, and the soil having special adaptatien 
to certain kinds, as for instance, in the culture of the peach. In 
view of the fact that only a small per cent, of the many producing 
orchards throughout this vast section have reached half their capac- 
ity of bearing, and taking into account the more important fact that 
the greater development of this country in the past few years consists 
in the planting of new orchards, these orchards comprising many 
thousands of acres of young trees which have never yet borne their 
first fruits, the future of the fruit industry of the State in its relation 
to commerce becomes an interesting study. In reckoning the results 
of such future development, the present great achievement of North- 
ern Colorado, the wonderful capabilities of the Arkansas Valley and 
the fair promise presented by South-western Colorado must be taken 
into the account. 

The statistics of trade show that during the past year (1S92), 1,100 
car-loads of California fruit were shipped into Denver for distribution 
and local consumption. While Denver, as the central market of the 
State, requires so great an amount of seasonable fruit, it is a well- 
known fact that since the orchards came into bearing, not a crate of 
Western Colorado fruit has ever reached that city except by some 
special arrangement for very small consignments, notwithstanding 
the Colorado fruit, full ripe and fresh picked from the stem, always 
commands a price 20 to 30 per cent, in advance of the California 
product. All the fruits raised in Western Colorado thus far, find a 
ready sale at good prices in the local markets and the surrounding 
mining camps, commanding prices 100 per cent, higher than the same 
classes of fruits in other sections of the State; hence the great profit 
per acre, on fruits in that section as cited in that portion of the State 
in the foregoing. But when these vast areas of young orchards come 
into full bearing there will be a great surplus from local consumption, 
and that surplus, in its season, will undoubtedly be sufficient to sup- 
plant a large proportion of the California trade. What with the 
possibilities of the other fruit sections named. Colorado within a few 
years will be able to supply all the home markets, and with the still 
further development to be made by the population of the future, she 
can furnish the markets of the neighboring States of the West. 

Vast areas of these rich farm and orchard lands of the Western 
Slope, including other counties than those designated, remain open, 
HHoccupied and inviting to settlement by the home-seeker in the West. 



] ^ THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Among the settlements, where the lands have been placed within the 
reach of water by irrigating canals, good lands for general agricul- 
tural purposes, unimproved, may be purchased for fio per acre; im- 
proved lands at $^o. The cost of perpetual water-rights is $io to 
J 1 2. 50 per acre. Cost of water by rental, ;fi per acre. In some parts 
good laud suitable for farming and stock-raising may be obtained for 
less than $io\ but, the cost of water is even*-where uniform and must 
iuvariably be added to the cost per acre of laud, for no crops are 
raised in these parts without irrigation. 

Orchard lands exclusively command higher prices, regulated by 
location with reference to development of the country, nearness to 
centers of population and convenience to railway shipping points. 
Improved orchard lands vary in price Irom ^30 to $700 per acre, in- 
cluding water-rights, the greater proportion of such lands selling for 
from |ioo to J200 per acre. The higher figures appertain more par- 
ticularly to portions of Grand Valley in a high state of development. 
Unimproved orchard lands command nominally $10 per acre. At 
this price the poor man who is unable to buy a large farm ma\' obtain 
a teu-acre fruit farm which will be sufficieut for all his needs, for 
|ioo. Additional costs, fencing J70; water right, Jioo. He may 
plant his ground to all the varieties of fruit at the following rale for 
the entire area of ten acres: Apples, f 150; peaches, J136; apricots, 
$212; pears. $212; grapes, $150. Thus, he may establish an orchard 
of as many varieties of fruits as he may choose, at a cost of abont 
$500, and while for the first two or three years the trees are growing, 
he can make the land pay the purchase price in small fruits and 
vegetables. 

In the general agriculture of Western Colorado, the average of 
cereal pro«lucts per acre are equal to the highest average for the State, 
while the maximum products of many valley farms in all the counties 
named is extraordinary, showing an amazing fertility of soil. There 
are also advantages of climate, peculiar to the topography, the 
altitude and the conditions of atmosphere prevalent on the Western 
Slope of all great mountain ranges, which aitl materially iu the prime 
growth and perfect ripening of farm products as well as the fruits. 

Green River Division. 
The Green River division embraces the western portions of Routt 
and Rio Hlauco counties, watered by the Green, the Vampa and White 
rivers and their tributaries. This is a vast extent of country, Jying 
directly north of the Grand River division and forming the north-west 
corner of the State. The land is partly mouutainous aud may be 
described as varying in all the characteristics of a "broken " countrj* 
with its mountains and lesser hills, its rugged, rocky domes, its mesas, 
its valleys and its plains, its heavy timbered forests and its beautiful 
mountain lakes. In all parts the soil is rich, but the climate is less 
favorable to general agriculture than in the lower lauds south. All 
manner of cereals can be grown, but the seasons do not admit of their 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. l\) 

profitable cultivation in the larger portion, particularly in the north. 
Alfalfa, potatoes and all the hay-making grasses ami garden 
vegetables are successfully grown, and the soil yields in great 
abundance. The country, therefore, though sparsely settled, is occu- 
pied by the class of people for whom it was by nature intended. It 
possesses every advantage for the live-stock industry, and here is 
where some of the finest horses and best cattle of the State are bred 
and raised. Having an abundance of pure water, finely sheltered 
grazing lands for the summer and autumn and an abuudance of the 
best of hay for feeding through the winter and early spring. No 
country in the world offers better advantages for the live-stock indus- 
try. Large herds of cattle every year reach the markets of Utah and 
the East from this section. Throughout the country, particularly in 
Routt county, within the past ten years a number of enterprising 
stockmen have established stock-farms for the exclusive business of 
breeding, and the annual sales in the Denver market from these farms 
prove the perfect adaptation of the country to the breeding and cul- 
ture of fine stock, wherein the heavy draft-horse, the roadster and 
thoroughbred of blue grass pedigree form a conspicuous part. In a 
large portion of Rio Blanco county experiments in fruit growing have 
proved successful, and it is likewise true that wheat and oats come to 
maturity with a high average yield, but as yet the agricultural settle- 
ment is limited, though extensive preparations in the way of irriga- 
tion canals have been made for the future population, which will be 
composed of farmers, cattle men and people devoted to all branches 
of the live-stock industry. In the irrigated sections of Rio Blanco 
county the yield of wheat and oats per acre has been very large. 
The Grand Valley in Garfield county is also a rich section, productive 
of all farm crops and orchard fruits. In both Rio Blanca and Routt 
counties there is great wealth of natural resources ; the forests become 
a great reserve of useful timbers for the generations to come, and are 
bountifully stocked with game, the streams and lakes swarm with the 
finest fish, and there are beautiful parks and mineral springs and 
delightful places of health and pleasure resort. All in all, this is a 
country that possesses many attractions to the home-seeker, and will 
be preferred by many because of its great combination of industrial 
resources and its many peculiar attractions. It contains an abund- 
ance of unoccupied lands that may be obtained cheaply and on the 
easiest of terms, while there are vast tracts of government land that 
may he filed upon by homestead entry at ;^t.25 per acre. 

The San Juan Division. 
La Plata and Montezuma counties, occupying the south-western 
corner of the State, comprise about all the valuable agricultural area 
in this division. These counties with their rich valley and mesa lands, 
productive in a high degree of all manner of crops, likewise possess 
great wealth of natural resource, such as .coal, iron, stone, the pre- 
cious metals and the minerals of commercial and mauufactural value. 



20 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Here is comprised a vast area of agricultural lands, having the advant- 
ages of a Southern climate, where the production of all manner of 
cereals and fruits is highly remunerative. The country has an abund- 
ant supply of water, possessing many attractions of nature for health 
and pleasure, and embracing all the advantages of material resources 
that establish towns and cities and form the combination of industrial 
and social life as it exists everywhere in the commonwealths of high 
civilization. To be precise, a farm of eighty acres in La Platta or 
Montezuma county, is the basis of a fortune and a guarantee of a 
supply of all the necessaries and luxuries of life. In every essential 
the land is adapted to all the cereals, and root crops, to fruit culture, 
and all varieties of clovers and hay-making grasses. The products 
are rich, and grow in enormous yields per acre. These lands, covered 
with rich native grasses become an open pasture all the year round, 
and therefore afford all possible advantages for the live-stock indus- 
try. Thus the opportunity is offered to every farmer to possess his 
fields of grain and hay, his garden, his orchard and his herds of 
sheep and cattle, each department becoming a perennial and never- 
failing source of profit As in all other portions of the State these 
lands may be cheaply obtained on easy terms, at prices ranging from 
a homestead entry to an improve*! and expensive deeded farm. 
Ill Soutlierii Colorado. 

The counties of Las Animas and Huerfano, in the southern portion 
of the State lying immediately east of the Continental range, while 
possessing immense resource of coal, mmerals and other material, 
embrace a large scope of agricultural lands in the fertile valleys of 
many streams, together with many hundreds of square miles of 
grazing lands upon the open plains. A large proportion of the farm- 
ing lauds are under cultivation, and the value of the crops and the 
live-stock interests form a large contribution to the aggregate wealth 
of the State. Huerfano county is watered by the Cucharas river, 
Huerfano and Santa Clara creeks and smaller streams. The valleys 
are broad and extremely rich in soil, pro<lucing the cereals and 
grasses, the more profitable crops being oats, alfalfa, potatoes ami 
garden vegetables. .Vbout 20,000 acres are under cultivation by the 
irrigation system. 

Las Animas county i.^ watered by the Las Animas river, Purgatoire 
creek and numerous smaller streams, having 75 miles of irrigating 
canals and 35,000 acres of land under cultivation. Oats form the 
leading crop in point of yield per acre, the most profitable crops being 
potatoes, alfalfa and other clovers and grasses. The City of Trinidad, 
for many years before American civilization in the West a Mexican 
village, is the county seat with a population of 5,oo<i. The two coun- 
ties combined contain the largest coal-producing fielils in the State, 
and the largest coke-ovens in the West are located at Trinidad. Here 
is also the leading market and manufacturing point between Pueblo 
and Santa V6, New Mexico, and by reason of the combination of 
imoortaat industries in all this section of the country, the future 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 21 

holds great promise for agriculture, all products having a home 
market aud always commanding the best prices. Three Mnes of rail- 
ways traverse both counties, connecting with all parts of the State. 

Eastern Colorado. 

Eleven counties, forming the eastern end of the State and embrac- 
ing more than one-fifth of its total area, stand separate and distinct 
from the agricultural areas of the State as known under the irrigation 
system. In this part there are few running streams and little or no 
irrigation. Within this area there are not less than 12,000,000 acres 
of fertile land. It has been from the days of earliest settlement a 
part of the great cattle range of Colorado aud designated as the "arid 
region." The country has never been regarded by the early settler, 
nor is it now regarded by the farmer under the irrigation system with 
the hope of its reclamation. Nevertheless a few farmers emigrating 
about ten years ago from Western Nebsaska and Kansas, made settle- 
ments in one or more of these counties along the new lines of rail- 
way which then entered the State. For a livelihood they first turned 
their attention to stock-raising and to limited farming as an experi- 
ment. At that time the present counties were embraced in the few 
old and very large counties that covered the plains. The first crojs, 
consisting namely of corn, wheat, oats, hay and potatoes, proved so 
far successful that the experiment was tried the following year on a 
larger scale. The effort was regarded as an experiment because the 
new-comer, in the absence of irrigation was obliged to depend upon 
the rain-fall for his crops, a possibility to which all men in Colorado, 
before that time, were skeptical to the degree that it was unanimously 
pronounced impossible. But in the second aud third years crops of 
these new settlers proved sufficiently successful to be encouraging, 
and they doubled their acreage and increased the varieties of their 
crops. The rains came in season, the fields of grain continued to 
grow and thrive, population increased, a new people came each year 
into all these new counties, towns and villages, with their schools 
and churches and work -shops, gradually grew into existence, and in 
the course of time, through all of Eastern Colorado there were dis- 
tributed well-defined industrial settlements, and these products forced 
a recognition as a part of the aggregate volume of the State's wealth. 
Hence, in 1SS7 and 1S89 the new counties which are recognized as 
comprising the agricultural section of Eastern Colorado were organ- 
ized and are known collectively as the "rain-belt" area of Colorado. 

In 1S90 the crops of this section were utterly destroyed by drouth. 
But this was the only season of such a disaster during the period of 
eight years, where progress has been made. The crops grown in that 
section are not so diversified and not nearly so productive as it is 
possible to make them in the irrigated portions; it is not to be ex- 
pected that they grow so luxuriantly or mature so perfectly; never- 
theless the crops grow and struggle through drouth aud heat of this 
arid region and ripen for the harvest. In late years increased areas 



22 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

have swollen the balance of crops from the sufficiency of home suppiv 
into a suqjlus for the markets. Thus the farmers of Eastern Colorado 
have been enabled te prove-up the claims to their lands, establish 
their homes, improve their farms and increase the machinery of their 
industrial operations. They claim a permanent abiding, with the 
hope and promise of future success, and now invite the immigrant 
farmer to stop within their borders, establish a home and become a 
citizen of their respective counties, offering the inducements of 
cheap lands and a certainty of a livelihood and a living. 

The "Divide." 
This singular configuration of the plains, is entitled to a place in 
the agricultural description of the State, being distinct in its char- 
acteristics frem all other sections. Starting from the foot-hills in El 
Paso and Douglas counties, occupying portions of Douglas, El Paso 
and Elbert counties, and running from west to east a distance of more 
than icxj miles, and varying in width from 25 to 40 miles, is a range of 
hills known as the "Divide." It is so-called because it divides the 
eastern or plains portion of the State into its northern and southern 
divisions, sending the water-courses, on one side northward toward the 
Platte, and on the other southward toward the Arkansas river. The 
hills are covered with valuable timber and interspersed with numerous 
valleys of rich agricultural and grazing lands, the hill-sides being also 
cultivable and productive. The principal products are potatoes, hay 
and corn. Wheat, oats and barley are also grown, the latter beiag 
the more profitable crop. The land is esf)ecially well adapted to 
potatoes. It is a section of the country especially favored by the 
elements, becoming a conductor of the storm-clouds from the moun- 
tains eastward far into the plains. It is therefore visited by frequent 
and copious rains in the cropping season, and it is this peculiar phy- 
sical feature that gives to Douglas, Elbert and a portion of El Paso 
county the credit of raising crops without irrigation. On account of 
its advantages of good water and good grazing, as well as the capacity 
of the soil for raising all manner of stock feed, it also becomes a 
suitable country for cattle, and the dairy becomes a profitable part 
of the general industry of the farmer. In its general topography 
there is much to remind one of scenes iu the Eastern States, where 
the farm lies in the midst of the hills and valleys, the forests and the 
streams, those delightful poems of nature that sing sweetly through 
all the prosaic toils of the year. 

Isolated Aiv;us. 
There are yet many farm areas that are not taken into account in 
the general reckoning of aj^ricultural possibilities. These are the 
small farms and farming communities in a manner isolated from the 
agricultural divisions proper, being located in the small parks and 
narrow valleys of the high mountains. These farms are numerous 
and their products important, because furnishing an important part 
of the supply in their local markets. As a rule these farms produce 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 23 

but little grain. In some localities the valleys are highly productive 
of oats. Their principal products are hay, potatoes and garden vege- 
tables, which always command high prices in the mining districts and 
become a source of large profits to the producer, who also usually 
attaches profitable herds of cattle and other stock to his farm. 

Prices of Land. 
One ®f the first and most necessary questions asked by the new- 
comer and the intending immigrant, is that concerning the prices of 
lands. The process of occupying Government land at $1.25 per acre 
under the homestead entry law, is universally understood. Farm 
lands near the larger cities command from $50 to $150 per acre, gar- 
den $100 to I500 per acre, and can scarcely be included in the list of 
lands generally sought. Pailroad lands can be purchased at from 
113.50 to |io per acre, in some portions ranging as high as $15. State 
lands, except in favored sections, have about the same range of value. 
The lands commanding $100 or more are under ditch, well watered 
and pay a handsome profit when thoroughly cultivated. They are 
especially valuable for small fruits and garden vegetables. Lands 
equally rich in soil but not so favorably located, may be purchased in 
the new settlements in all parts of the State at a range of from $5 to 
$30 per acre. In all irrigated portions the cost of water must be 
added to the price of all unimproved lands. 

Average Yield Per Acre. 
For all sections combined the average production per acre is esti- 
mated by the most careful statisticians as follows: Wheat, 22 bushels 
per acre; oats, 40; rye, 20; barley, 30; corn, 45; potatoes, 150; alfalfa^ 
4 tons; clover, 3; timothy, 2; native grasses, i^z- These averages in- 
clude large areas of poor soil and also high altitudes in many counties, 
where short seasons and cool weather forbid certain maturity, or 
where in large agricultural communities the average is less than that 
given for the State. The capabilities of Colorado soil where fully 
cultivated have been amply tested by annual experiments at the State 
Agricultural College of Colorado. The maximum results have been 
as follows: Wheat, 91 bushels per acre, field crop; largest yield of 
rye, 52 bushels; oats, 102 bnshels; potatoes (Irish), over 400 bushels 
to the acre; barley, 72 bushels. Corn has been made to yield 67 
bushels (shelled.) 

Colorado's Agricultural Exhibit at tlie "World's Fair. 
The maximum as well as the minimum and average products as 
represented in Colorado's agricultural exhibit at the World's Fair, are 
taken from among the ordinary field-crops and come from all parts 
of the State. Among them are sheaves of oats taken at the roots that 
stand 7^ feet high, the yield being 112 '2 bushels to the acre, and 
weighing 48 pounds to the bushel. The largest yield re.presented for 
oats is 136 bushels per acre, weight 35 pounds. The heaviest oats 
shown, weigh 52 pounds pef bushel. 



24 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The most remarkable display is that of the wheat produced in 
various portions. Specimeus taken from a forty-acre farm yield as 
high as 94'^ bashels per acre. The largest average yield is from a 
farm of &>o acres, 52 bushels to the acre, weighing 62 pounds per 
bushel. One of the most surprising revelations made in this collec- 
tion, is the great number of varieties of the leading products. Their 
classification shows the following: 

Wheat, varieties »77 

Rve . . " 

Barley . . 45 

Oats ... . . 50 

Corn >5 

Millet * 

Buckwheat ... * 

Tobacco ° 

Flax 3 

Native grasses ... . >'5 

Cultivated grasses . . 8 

All these things show the possibilities of Colorado soil. When it 
is remembered that there are large areas of land of low production, 
the high averages as they have been reliably reported is sufficient 
recommendation. It places Colorado ahead of all other States in the 
Union for all products. But it is in the enormous figures representing 
some maximum yields that we find the true possibilities of Colorado 
soil illustrated. These great yields, in some instances representing 
many acres or an entire farm in diflferent portions of the State, are the 
results of intense, intelligent application of labor and advanced meth- 
ods, with the design of making the soil yield the best possible results 
and largest profits. In some instances these efforts were applied to 
lauds where an entire county can be made to produce an average 
double the high average yield of the entire State. These statements 
doubtless will be taken as exceedingly liberal if not e.xtravagant, but 
they can be verified by the most substantial evidence— the product 
itself with proof of its nativity. 



Irrigation. 

REDUCING the total area of the State to acreage, there are approx- 
imately 66,000,000 acres within its borders. The great Conti- 
nental range divides this, giving about 25,000,000 acres to 
Western Colorado and about 40,000,000 acres to the eastern side of 
the mountains. According to the estimates of the State Engineer, 
there are about 16,000,000 acres of mountain drainage, from which the 
western side draws water for its 9,000, otx) acres of valley and mesa 
lands, whereas 30,000,000 acres of plains have approximately 10,- 
000,000 acres of mountain drainage. Thus it appears that the western 
side is amply provided by nature, with water supply for irrigation, 
while a less proportion of drainage is similarly provided for the 
30,000,000 acres on the eastern side. Thegreater part of this immense 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 25 

area is arable land, possessing wonderful fertility and capable of 
sustaining a dense population. From measurements it has been 
ascertained that over the 10,000,000 acres of mountain drainage for 
the eastern side there is an annual precipitation of 34 inches, 40 per 
cent, of which reaches the plains. This 40 per cent, would give a 
depth of 13 or 14 inches over 10,000,000 acres, if the total amount 
were distributed through irrigating canals. What with the increased 
moisture from seepage, as the irrigating ditches multiply, and the 
frequency of precipitation from evaporation, there is a gradual and 
natural conversion of large portions of the arid area into arable lands. 

The large extension of the irrigation system thus far, while greatly 
increasing the cultivable areas of the plains, has resulted in the 
increased capacity of water, rather than the exhaustion of supply, 
however indisputable the fact that all material force has its natural 
limit. By seepage, the water, after being used, returns to the bed of 
the stream and becomes a new source of supply from a point where 
the limit of first supply may be reached. Thus the waters of the 
Platte valley flowing out through North-eastern Colorado, are used 
three times over, increasing the flow from the base of the mountains 
to the eastern boundary of the State 61 1 cubic feet per second. Upon 
the same principle, under the reservoir storage plan, which is fast 
becoming a part of the irrigation system of Colorado, the water maj' 
be repeated in its use as often as it returns to the bed of the stream. 

In thus reducing irrigation to a scientific basis, both of study and 
experiment, it will be the work of the next ten years, to bring under 
cultivation the wide domain between the Rocky Mountains and the 
Eastern border. As the possibilities of agriculture in Colorado are 
limited only by the water-supply, and, as the vast domain of arable 
land lies ready for the plow, the logic of the problem is to so utilize the 
abundance of the water-supply as to distribute it upon the largest 
amount of this virgin soil. What has already been done in this direc- 
tion has been the work of private capital, under the judicious man- 
agement of the State, and the existence of 12,400 miles of irrigating 
canals, reclaiming 4,800,000 acres of arid land, is a startling exhibit 
of the gigantic strides of progress that have been made within the 
past twenty years. Great as this progress has been, projects of 
immense character are now under execution to increase the water 
supply and extend the cultivable area. Within the past two years, 
not only large additions have been made to the canal system, but 
numerous reservoirs, some of them of enormous capacity, have been 
erected in >arious parts of the State, and these reservoirs will afford 
a perpetual water-supply for many thousands of acres otherwise inac- 
cessible to water. 

The superior advantages of irrigation are manifest. The farmer 
can raise standard crops each successive year without failure. His 
lands, unlike the soil of the older states in rain countries, requires 
comparatively little fertilization. Ordinarily, land will hold its stand- 
ard productiveness for ten years. After that, fertilization becomes 



26 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

more or less a necessity. The sediment deposits by irrigation is a 
constant fertilizer of itself, while the yearly rotation of crops keeps 
the land in a healthy, productive condition. The farmer has entire 
control of the making of his crops after germination, inasmuch as 
when he nee<ls water he can apply it as the case may require. No 
crop is burned up by continued drouth and none destroyed by exces- 
sive moisture. His grains, grasses and vegetables are superior in 
quality in not having too much, but just enough moisture at times 
when they most need it. 

Proce.ss of Irrijfation. 

The following simplified description of the process of irrigation is 
given for the benefit of those who, living remote from the arid regions, 
have never witnessed the method of the distribution of water through 
the fields: 

A large ditch or canal conveys water from one of the mountain 
streams, stretching out for many miles up>on the plains. Leading 
from this main ditch at intervals — as frequent as there may be farms 
to irrigate — are laterals or smaller ditches, which are made to run 
through or alongside the farm. From these first laterals still other 
and smaller laterals are made to run into and across the fields, and 
leading from these a number of furrows are made through the fields 
with a plow. By these channels the water is made to flow through 
the land. The water turned from the main canal into the first lateral, 
thence into the second, and thus into the furrows, which may be 20 
or even 50 feet apart, spreads over and soaks the ground till the 
desired moisture is obtained. By a system of gates and gauges at the 
head of the laterals, the water is measured as it is turned on, and any 
amount may be obtained, as nee<led. The furrows which distribute 
the water are run in such direction, recjuired by the lay of the land, 
as will give them only a slight descent. A shovel full of earth thrown 
into the opening of the furrows at their Junction with the small lat- 
eral, keeps them close<l. When the land needs water, the little gate 
or sliding-board at the main canal is raised as far as needed to let in 
the required amount of water. This is raised or lowered as the case 
may require in the course of irrigating a farm. The larger furrow or 
second lateral being filled with water, the irrigator opens the upper 
ends of the little furrows by taking out a shovel full of earth. These 
furrows then become fille<l throughout their length across the field. 
The water seeping through and overflowing the sides of the furrows, 
gently trickles along over the surface and soaks into the ground. 
Flowing thus from each side, the waters soon unite between the fur- 
rows and thus the moisture becomes uniform and general. If it 
should be desirable, the farmer m-iy remove all olwtructions and by 
clipping olT a bit of dirt at intervals, from the sides of the furrows, 
floo<l his land till the water will everywhere cover the surface. In 
this way a farmer can, "within an hour or two, give an entire farm that 
which would be equal to n heavy soaking rain. Tiiis may be done so 
thoroughly that in souio lands the crops may flourish through the 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 27 

hottest season without another irrigation. These floodings are often 
given about the heading-out time and the result is thq production of 
heavier, more perfect grain. 

The amount of water used per acre during a season varies slightly, 
according to the nature of the soil, the lay of the land and its rela- 
tion to the irrigation system, the new lands requiring a greater 
amount. By the economical use of water it is estimated that the 
amount required is about one cubic foot per second to fifty-three 
acres. This is an average, but in some parts eighty, and even one hun- 
dred acres have been irrigated with one cubic foot The annual cost 
of putting water on the land by rental is from I1.50 to $2.50 per acre, 
which includes cost of water and needed repairs to ditch. Superior 
quality, higher average yield per acre and the certainty of a crop 
every year are the supreme advantages of irrigation. 



Colorado Soil. 



IN its general nature the prevailing soil of Colorado is a sandy loam. 
This is varied in some parts by clay, adobe and other constitu- 
ents. It is everywhere rich, having a uniformity of depth on the 
plains, while in the bottoms or valley land it reaches from three to 
seven feet. In its average, Colorado soil has been found to be supe- 
rior to that of all Eastern States. Analyses of Colorado soils have 
shown especially that they contain in ample proportions all the 
chemical elements that give plant life, with a source of supply from 
which to draw a large measure of recuperative force. It is of stand- 
ard chemical authority, that soils consist of the more or less com- 
minuted fragments of rocks, mixed with certain products of their 
chemical decomposition, and with some organic matter, as the debris 
of vegetation. The objection raised to the soil of the arid region is 
that sand forms too large a proportion of its component parts. In 
this very fact, to which exceptions are taken, lies the greatest advan- 
tage. A soil of fine sand may be highly productive, especially if it 
originates from easily decomposing rocks, because the amount of 
surface that the grains expose and the close texture of the soil main- 
tain it in a proper degree of moisture, and allow a suflScient solution 
and accumulation of food for the plants ; also the clay has a remark- 
able porosity and retentiveness for water, for ammonia and most solu- 
ble salts. Whether or not it is true that the receding waters of the 
great ocean in some remote period left a sedimentary deposit as a 
basis of our soil, it is true that through unknown ages since that 
period, the clouds of dust and sand which occasionally spread over 
the plains have been steadily sweeping down from the vast mountain 
area and building up the surface. Hence, in early days the plains 
were called the great sandy desert. But that was an error of vision 



28 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

and of judjjfment from a lack of practical contact. These glistening 
grains of sand form s. part of the great bo<ly of decomposed rock and 
mineral matter which con tribute to the soil focnl and vitality to plant 
life. The sand itself decomposes in time and becomes a chemical 
constituent of the soil. It will not be claimed, for these reasons, that 
the soil of the West is inexhaustible. All things in nature must have 
rest and recuperation. But experience has proved that the sandy 
soils of the plains are of all soils the most enduring. The water 
from the mountains which furnishes irrigation to the farms, serves 
also as a perpetual fertilizing agent. The change from the state of 
nature in which the human race must first have lived to the pastoral, 
or to any higher mo<le of living, must have been the work of ages. 
The first industrial people of whom we have mere traces of history, 
must have consolidated in the countries watered by the Nile, the 
Euphrates and the the Tigris. The sediment of slime and mud from 
the over-flows which make the soil of these valleys so rich is noth- 
ing less than the silt of decomposed rock and mineral, mixed with 
organic matter, which itself is a mass of decayed vegetation, serving 
the purposes of a fertilizer and a soil builder. 

I-n Colorado we have a soil that is responsive in an extravagant 
degree, wherever water can be applied. It may not be so abounding 
in richness as the valleys of the Nile and the Euphrates, but it 
receives a perpetual replenishing of vitalizing elements. We ha ?e 
no overflows like that of the Nile, but we have a never failing supp.y 
of water by the system of irrigation, which insures uniform ana 
never failing crops. Under this system the water serves the double 
purpose of irrigating and fertilizing the land. Nevertheless it is true 
that the soils of Colorado, like the soils of all other countries, after 
long use, must be renewed by rest, rotation of crops and by the appli- 
cation of manures and other fertilizing agents of common-place use. 
This silt from the mountain rocks becomes a potent factor ; but the 
wimls au<l the waters contribute only nature's share, and the limits 
to her share fall far short of the measure of exhaustion by constant 
use to meet the wants and the exactions of mankind. 



State School Lands. 



THE land department is one of the most important branches 
of the State Government. Colorado owns by original grant 
about 3,000,000 acres of school land and 385,000 acres belonging 
to other grants. In addition, the State has recently acquireil from 
the Government 655,686 acres of indemnity lands, more than half of 
which will soon be brought under the irrigation system. The 
amendment to the land laws enacted by the I./egislature two years ago, 
renders it possible for settlers to establish homes on State lands upon 
a very small iuvestment. It reads as follows: " On lands selling for 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 09 

$3 50 P^"^ acre, 10 per cent, of the purchase money on the day of sale, 
the balance in eighteen equal annual payments at 6 per cent, per 
annum. Lands selling at more than ^25 and less than $75 per acre, 
20 per cent, cash, on day of sale, the balance in fourteen equal annual 
payments at 7 per cent, per annum," etc. Under this provision of 
law a quarter section at J3 per acre would amount to $560. Of this 
amount, 10 per cent, in cash would amount to $56, and, annually 
thereafter, the payments would be $28 per annum at 6 per cent, on the 
amount remaining in deferred payments after each payment made. 

State school lands may also be leased at varying prices, ranging 
at from 5 to 50 cents per acre per season. In thus leasing, the settler 
is at liberty to make any manner of improvements he chooses. 
Should the land be sold at the expiration of the lease, the State will 
refund the full value of the expenditures made in such improvements. 
At the same time the land, by reason of these improvements, will have 
enhanced so much in value that the lessee, having the benefit of his 
improvements as part payment, will have the advantage of all rival 
bidders. These lands are selected in the most desirable localities for 
agriculture, and are becoming the nucleus of many centers of popu- 
lation. 



Fruit Growing. 

MUCH of the future wealth of Colorado will be derived from the 
orchard and the vineyard. The State is destined to become a 
rival of all fruit growing countries, not excepting California. 
Fruit culture has already become a permanent industry and its possi- 
bilities are great beyond even the realization of people at home. The 
facts concerning it are naturally incredible to people abroad. But in 
this, Colorado is great, as it is in so many of its separate resources. 
It is not a country where it is merely possible to attach an orchard of 
a few chosen varieties to a farm, but containing vast areas that stretch 
out in millions of acres, having soil and climate that are perfectly 
adapted to fruits of all varieties, except the citrons and other semi- 
tropical kinds. The period of experiment has passed. More than 
twenty years ago apples and the small varieties of stone fruits were 
grown in small orchards on the eastern side of the mountains in 
Northern Colorado, the trees bearing sufficiently to test the possibil- 
ity of fruit culture, but a knowledge of the wide extent of country 
and the numerous localities susceptible to it has been a development 
of the past ten years. Within this period small orchards and vine- 
yards in many parts of the State have grown into the magnitude of 
large fruit farms. Many of these are bearing rich harvests, and it is 
now only a question of sufficient time for the younger orchards in the 
more favorsd sections to mature, when Colorado will be a rival in the 
markets of the West b)' the abundance and excellent quality of her 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 

i'ruils. The apple is the staple fruit and all the standard varieties are 
grown. For delicious flavor the peach excels the California product, 
and is unsurpassed by any State in the Ueion. Grapes of all the 
choice varieties have a most prolific growth in many parts of the 
State, and their cultivation thus far bespeaks unlimited possibilities 
for the vineyard. The most luscious and abundant of all small fruits 
is the strawberry. It grows wonderfully in all parts of the State, it 
is unexcelled in the world for size and sweetness, and where properly 
cultivated will yield from 3,000 to 4,000 quarts per acre. 

The portions of the State bast adapted to fruit culture, are the tier 
of counties skirting the eastern base of the mountains, the mesas and 
broad valleys of Western Colorado, the mesas of South-western Colo- 
rado and the great stretch of plains lying along the valley of the 
Arkansas river. Thus we have as areas for fruit growing, the valleys 
of the Gunuison, the Grand and White rivers in Western Colorado, 
the Alancos and the Animas in South-wstern Colorado, the great 
Arkausas River valley, and the counties of Arapahoe, Jefferson, 
Boulder, Larimer and Weld on the eastern side, as fi:.U-class fruit- 
growing sections, the combine*! area being larger than the entire State 
of Ohio. The counties above name<l, together with Fremont connty 
on the upper Arkansas, embrace the old or first establishe<i fruit-grow- 
ing sections. Fremont county is famous by reason of its age und 
prestige for the variety and excellence of its fruits. In the remainder 
of the Arkansas valley, embracing Pueblo, Bent, Otero and Prowers 
counties, the orchards have scarcely grown out of the nursery, having 
just passed the first years of their bearing, but prove every possibil- 
ity of fruit culture, possessing every adaptation of soil, climate, water 
and lay of the land. The few years of experiment prove the eminent 
success of the orchard and vineyard. The valleys of the western 
side embrace the fruit-growing counties of Mesa, Delta, Montrose 
and Garfield, which, having an existence as a white settlement only 
during the past twelve years, have become famous during the past three 
years as a great fruit-growing section of the State. Different parts 
of the State, while producing all varieties, have a special adaptation 
to one or more kinds of fruit The western side is called the home 
of the peach, the eastern side that of the apple. Grapes, however, 
have a prolific growth in all fruit-growing sections. This especial 
adaptation is marke<l in a splendid new fruit-growing section in 
Arapahoe county, embracing a large area of up-lands along Cherry 
creek valley, beginning in the suburbs of Denver, and stretching 
twenty-five miles to the South, watered by the great CasUewood reser- 
voir. While all kinds of fruit can be successfully grown in this »ec- 
tion, the temler varieties of small fruits l)eing especially prolific, 
the soil possesses special adaptation to apples, pears, plums and 
cherries, and these grow in wonderful abundance. In the *' foot- 
hill " counties of Northern Colorado, alwve named, the apple and 
thf v.tn«ll fruit"! li- ulin" with fhf striiwhi-rrv mid iilso tin? i^rape, htc 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. ,31 

the most profitable crops, though the pear aad the small stone fruits 
form a large part of the orchard. 

The commercial advantages of fruit culture iu Colorado are very 
great. Mauy of the surrounding States and Territories produce little 
fruit of any kind, with no prospect of doing so. The central mar- 
kets of Colorado have become large distributing points for foreign 
fruits, while the local consumption is enormous. It is a near proba- 
bility that all this local demand may be supplied with home-raised 
fruits, and iu time it will be possible for Colorado to supply a large 
part of the demand from neighboring States. 



The Mining Indnstry. 

IT is not sufficient to say that Colorado is the leading producer of 
gold and silver in America. In all countries possessing the pre- 
cious metals, the permanency and profit of the mining industry 
become questions of first importance. The history of mining in any 
particular State or section of country is of little moment, except as it 
may serve to illustrate future possibilities. The greatest of all con- 
cerns is a knowledge of the extent and nature of the mineral forma- 
tions. Such knowledge, as it has come to light through discovery and 
development within the brief period of the past ten years demonstrate 
the illimitable possibilities of mining in Colorado. 

From 1S59, t^^i^ y^^"^ of ^''^t discoveries, to 1S70, the year of the 
first railway in the State, the value of all precious metals produced 
in Colorado was 127,500,000. In 1878 the production was 19,282, 191. 
The period between that jear and the present marks the era of true 
development in the mining industry of the State. From the first 
record of production in 1859 to the close of 1892, the total output 
from the mines approximates in value $400,000,000. The value of the 
total output in bullion (gold, silver, copper and lead), for the past two 
years was as follows, silver in 1891 having an average value of 0.9855, 

and in 1892 its average value being 0.8300: 

1891 Value of output $33,548,934 

1892 " " " 32,342,571 

The figures representing the annual increases for a period of suc- 
cessive years show more particularly the result of increased effort in 
the field of operation than as an indication of the immense mineral 
resources of the State, anless such figures are coupled with the history 
of marvelous discoveries that have been made in recent times, each 
ttew find leading to still greater successes in the field of discovery. 
In 187 1, the total value of the output of gold and silver in the State 
was only 13,029,000. In 1891 the value of gold and silver was approx- 
imately f 28,000,000; of lead, 15,050,000 and copper $600,000, making 
an approximate total of $33,500,000 for that year. 



32 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

For the thirteen years which have followed the carbonate discov- 
eries at Leadville, the mines of that great camp have given an annual 
average production of $12,000,000 in gold, silver, copper and lead, 
starting out in 1871 with a yield of $10,333,700, its protluction for the 
past year being about that amount. While these figures show that 
Leadville has steadily represented nearly one-half of the State's 
mineral production for a period, all the older districts have increased 
in wealth; and among the large numV)er of discoveries that have been 
made in new mineral fields, that camp has two very close rivals, 
which in future years will swell the volume of the State's pro<luction 
to proportions which, as a prediction merely, would seem incredible. 
But the practical miner and the geologist who have learned a little of 
the formations at Aspen and Creede can demonstrate that the former, 
through development, and the latter through more extensive explora- 
tions, may pro<luce fabulous treasures for centuries to come. Aspen, 
closely following Leadville in the history of its establishment, was 
from the l>eginning known to be great in riches. Its proud position 
of second place with a record of $7,000,000 production, is the result 
of persistent effort and improved methods of development within the 
past three years. The record of this camp is made almost exclusively 
on the development of well-known mines, while there are hundreds 
of new ones iu the district having great promise. 

Creede has a history of less than two years. With its limited 
development to be taken into account, it is one of the greatest pro- 
ducers of silver in the world. Ip its recent monthly reports of output 
it now takes rank with Leadville. It is claimed by geologists that 
this camp at some point within twelve miles of Creede possesses the 
mother vein. If this be true, it is a camp with no limit to its resource 
within the knowledge or practical research of man. 

Leadville, after all its yield of wealth, has reached the point of 
still greater discovery <leep down in its mines, and is now growing 
richer iu this new field of exploration, while there are still many 
undeveloped mines just beginning to contribute their share of wealth. 
These three districts are conspicuously illustrative of the permanent 
character of the miuiug industry of Colorado. The simple mention 
of the many mines in the districts that are known to Ikj rich and 
awaiting development would make the material of a book. The 
older mines continue to be the reliable sources of wealth. The new- 
ones form that great reserve of wealth that cannot bt- reckoned and 
no words can properly express the appalling measure. The pioneer 
counties of Clear Creek, with its deep mines and its silver, and Gilpin, 
with its ciuota of gold, continue to contribute their share of treasure, 
with uo sign of decrease. Within the past few years also many rich 
discoveries of gold have l)eeu made in the great silver-producing dis- 
trict of Ouray, in that part of Colorado known as the Silvery San 
Juan, so-called became the eulirc country, embracing the counties of 
Ouray, San Juan, San Miguel, Dolores and LalMata, i.>; a vast field of 
mineral, where every mountain is striped with fissure veins, laden 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 33 

with silver. In Ouray county the true value of the mines has been 
proved since, within the past few years, the railway has reached the 
center of the great mining camp. This is likewise true of San Juan, 
San Miguel and Dolores counties, where the mines by the hundreds 
have just reached the stage of profitable development. In all these 
counties the new and undeveloped mines, rich beyond all calculation, 
predominate, while old mines grow richer in production as the miner 
delves toward the unknown and mysterious depths in search of the 
hidden treasure. Boulder county, among the oldest of mining districts, 
has within the past two years brought to the fore some new discov- 
eries that are great in wealth, while the old mines have yielded 
increased treasure. 

The discovery of the great Cripple Creek gold district, which is 
almost coincident with that of Creede, is another illustration of the 
progress of mining in its primary stage of development. It is known 
as one of the rich mining districts of the State, with great yield of 
precious metals, while it is true that the mines of largest development 
have scarcely been opened. In respect of its importance so far as 
mere discovery goes, it is analogous to Creede in that, from the begin- 
ning, it attracted throngs of mining people who immediately possessed 
themselves of mineral locations, built towns and began to produce 
the precious metals, many persons establishing their fortunes. These 
things have occurred within less than two years past. In less than 
six months after its establishment, a railroad branch terminated at the 
center of Creede Camp, connecting it with all centers of the State. 
So important is Cripple Creek that a railway to ramify that district, is 
now under construction In both camps large capital is invested, the 
most modern and costly machinery brought into service, and oper- 
ations on a grand scale are in progress upon the comparatively few 
mines that have any development worthy of note. This is a fact, the 
more important because of the great number of prospects that will in 
future years be ranked among the rich producers of the State. 

But of other sections in many parts of the State that have not yet 
attained prominence, it can truthfully be said that they are likewise 
rich in prospects. The mountains of the Western Slope for the most 
part have been explored only to the extent that they are known to 
possess immense wealth of mineral treasure, as yet undeveloped. 

The meagre facts and figures above presented, are designed to 
show the limited development thus far, relative to the vast area 
embraced within the mineral belt of the State, for within this belt 
there are many rich mining districts yet to be discovered, and many 
rich mines yet to be developed in the districts that have been explored 
in years past. It has been the history of many of the richest mines 
oi the State that in the first stages of their development th«y were 
regarded as of little or no value and often abandoned by the original 
locators. There are many thousands of such prospects in the State, 
and they await only the same application of genius and labor that has 
brought so many .millions of treasure out of the Rocky Mountains in 



34 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

the past ten years. Prior to 1879, ^^^^ mining enterprise of Colorado 
was mainly the effort of discovery. The few years which have elapsed 
since that time, it has been shown, has been a perioil of development. 
That this development work has only a fair beginning, is a self-evident 
truth. The deeper the mines are worked the broader the scope of 
development and the greater the amount of gold and silver extracted, 
while the most encouraging results are obtained from the beginning of 
development work on many of the new properties. These prospects, 
scattered throughout the mining districts of the State, represent 
to-day the same situation in mining that gave to the industry its grept 
impetus in 1879-80. In this great aggregation of mere prospects is 
the assurance of treasure for the centuries to come. In the mining 
industry this is the main opportunity for the capitalist or the immi- 
grant seeking fortune in Colorado. Among the greatest advantages 
to mining in Colorado is that of railway construction. The greater 
part is of recent years. With the exception of Gilpin and Clear 
Creek counties, the mining districts of the State were entirely with- 
out railroads prior to 1879 So. Now, the State is fretted with these 
lines of steel, reaching every important mining camp thus far devel- 
oped in Colorado. The intro<Iuction of all manner of improved and 
powerful machinery has also cause 1 a revolution in the mining indus- 
try. Great profit has thus been added bj' the easier mining and suc- 
cessful treatment of low grade ores, and in many parts it is appre- 
ciated that ores are now mined at a cost of cents where formerly it 
was dollars. The wealthiest capitalists of Colorado are those who 
have made their fortunes out of mining. Being the first of all indus- 
tries to attract population, it has built cities in the mountains and on 
the plains; was the first motive power in the develoi)ment of the coal 
and iron resources of the State; led to the establishment of manu- 
factories and has aided in the advancement of every iuilustry in 
Colorailo. 

There seems to be a providence in the history of mining in Colo- 
rado, as it has appeared in the history of mining throughout the West 
since the days of the first goM discovery in California. Immediately 
following the first discoveries of gold in California, the gold fever 
broke out among the people of America. The contagion was the 
natural consequence of an unhealthy and unstal)le financial cou<lition 
wherein there was a demand for universal remedy. That remedy 
was needed in its application to the whole jicople of America. It was 
the great impetus that set the people in motion toward the industrial 
conquest of the West and the protluction of gold, that came as a 
result of the feverish agitation, palliated the 8uffering.s of America's 
many millions by giving them a sound currency. As one of the 
immediate results, the tide of Western immigration i>egan to ebb and 
flow. First rolling across the continent from the Atlantic to the 
Pacific, it surged back again, covering the broad country of mountains 
and valleys with civilized habitations, and set the wheels of industry 
in motion. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



.>.) 



la more recent years the developmeat of silver gave new impetus 
to industrial life, and the great tidal wave of Western immigration 
came once more. The great discoveries of silver that have been made 
since 1S59 have a more significant meaning than merely the progress 
of the mining countries in their industrial affairs. It meant in the 
outstart a ready and providential means of relieving the Nation from 
its distress incident to and closely following the great civil war; and, 
of greater importance still, by adding to the volume of the Nation's 
currency its immense treasure of coin, it has given relief, employment 
and prosperity to millions of people, thus lifted from a condition of 
want, and, greater than all results, bringing to the western half of 
the continent the most marvelous progress in industrial development 
ever witnessed in the world. 

Now it transpires in the midst of a political crisis which threatens 
calamity to the silver industry and to the people of the Nation as 
well, that the new gold fields have been discovered in Colorado. In 
the very primary stages of their development, large yields of gold are 
being made, while new discoveries are reported almost every day. At 
the present rate of production, when added to that of other gold- 
producing districts, the yield of gold in Colorado in 1893 will run 
high up in the millions. It seems also to be one of those providential 
dispensations in the affairs of man that other mining States are equally 
fortunate, and that with their combined wealth of gold and silver the 
great coin-producing West will be equipped to meet every exigency 
in the present problem of the world, and naturally force a settlement 
of the financial question in favor of the American people. 



Manufacturing in Colorado. 



THERE are two principal manufacturing points in Colorado— Den- 
ver and Pueblo — the leading cities of the State. In five other 
cities of less magnitude, young establishments of various man- 
ufacture are thriving and give great promise for the future. In all 
the centers of population there are various kinds of productive enter- 
prises, of which the articles created may properly be classed as manu- 
factures. Colorado is scarcely known beyond its borders as a manu- 
facturing State, yet the statistics from all reliable sources give an 
approximate value of $70,000,000, to the products mauufactured in 
1892. It must be understood, however, that this large figure represents 
the products of the smelters and the oil refineries, the former reaching 
far into the millions, forming nearly one-half of the total value, the 
latter supplying the State and other markets with refined and lubri 
eating oils, adding not less than $2,000,000 to the total value of the 
annual output of manufactures. When it is considered that Colorado 
is but a youth in statehood, with an age of sixteen years, and having 



36 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

a population of little less than half a million, these figures appear 
extravagant. They would be ridiculously so, were it pretended that 
they represent the products of leading manufactures, such as give 
industrial strength to all manufacturing States or countries. Each 
leading industry is followed by a train of kindred enterprises, how- 
ever small, but so numerous and so diversified that the estimated 
value of product is within the limits of reasonable calculation. The 
metal industry, which takes first rank, is a giant in its infancy, rep- 
resenting an annual product of ^10,000,000, of which ^5,000,000 is 
drawn annually from the maqufacture of iron and steel. All other 
manufactures embrace a long list of miscellaneous industries, that 
draw upon and bring to view the most wonderful diversity and abund- 
ance of raw material known to exist in combination in any country 
of the world. The development of these resources and the opera- 
tions in manufacture from from them thus far, though embracing 740 
establishments, employing 20,000 people, a capital of 124,000,000, 
and supplying a large foreign, as well as the natural home demand, 
is but the beginning of a great era of manufacturing in Colorado. 
The mere statemeut of volume and value of manufactures, even after 
making all allowance for the youth and small population of the 
State, is of little significance until the facts are made known concern- 
ing the great variety and immeasurable, incalculable supply of raw 
material from which these prcnlucts come. Then there arise ques- 
tions concerning the facitities for utilizing these materials, the cost 
and profit of manufacture and the market demand for the manufac- 
tured products Colorado possesses every advantage for the most 
favorable answers to all these and kindred questions. 

First in importance among these vast resources is iron, which 
exists in great masses in many parts of the State, conveniently 
located and easily accessible by railways from the principal manufact- 
iiring centers and possesing all the qualities requisite for the finest 
Bessemer steel, as demonstrated by the large iron and steel works 
which have been in operation at Pueblo for the past ten years. Then 
follows a large list of materials embracing lead, copper, zinc, common 
clays, fire-clays, plastic clays, silica, lime, cement, gypsum, wootl, 
stone, granite, marble, onyx, mineral paint, kaolin, cryolite, and an 
innumerable variety of commercial and manufactural minerals. The 
products of the farm, the range and the dairy must also be taken into 
account as among the sources of supply, the wool and hide interests 
alone forming the basis of great prospective manufacture. Nature 
has endowed the State with every possible advantage of manufacture. 
An abundance of coal, wood, stone, water-power and all other requi- 
sites distributed throughout the State in close proximity to the great 
iron beds and equ.illy convenient to all the great deposits of raw 
material embraced in the list of manufactural resource. Natural gas 
has also been discovered in many parts, and that source of wealth and 
power only awaits the day when its proper development is required. 
Thus nature has brought together every material and convenience for 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 37 

varied and extensive manufacture, and nothing is needed but the 
people, the capital and the skilled labor to build and expand upon the 
broad foundation already laid in the young establishments, which 
have begun to utilize these vast resources. 

Naturally, the first question which arises, is that concerning the 
markets for Colorado products. It will be seen by a glance at the 
map of the United States that Colorado occupies nearest the central 
position among States west of the Mississippi River, and becomes the 
great railway inlet and outlet between the two oceans and between 
British America and the Gulf of Mexico. Geographically it is the 
great western center of traffic aud travel, ramified by nine main 
lines of railway and their numerous branches, which give to it direct 
communication with all the States aud Territories of the Continent. 
This great western country, which forms the larger part of the Nation, 
is rapidly being filled with an industrial population. No State of this 
section possesses so great a variety of resources. From these Western 
States there is now and will ever be an increasing demand for such 
wares as cau be produced without limit in Colorado. While it may 
be true that in many lines of established manufacture, the demand 
may for the present be limited to home supply, the time is drawing 
near when Colorado must be prepared to meet the requisitions from 
all these surrounding States aud Territories. Increased capacity of 
the present manufactories and the establishment of many new indus- 
tries are the works now needed to anticipate the requirements of a 
growing new country. The greatest industrial strength of Colorado 
lies in the certainty of such a future, coupled with her great reserve 
of material resource, which awaits only the time when it is most 
needed. For the present, in many of the industries of Colorado 
which have thus far depended upon home patronage for maintenance, 
there is the keenest competition and people abroad are not advised to 
leave their moorings and enter this field, unless it be with the pur- 
pose of expansion for future operations. But there are opportunities 
for many new industries in Colorado, where men of practical expe- 
rience and adequate capital, would have greater possibilities than in 
any part of America. 

Manufactories in Denver 

Recent official statistics of manufacture in Denver, (compiled by 
the Manufacturers' Exchange,) which probably represents every 
line, except that of iron and steel manufacture, which is thus far con- 
fined to Pueblo, show a surprising array of industries in operation, or 
under process of construction, among the latter a steel rolling-mill, 
which will be the largest establishment of the kind west of Chicago. 
The following is a tabulated summary of these manufactories embrac- 
ing hundreds of establishments and scores of varieties of manufac- 
tured goods and wares. 



38 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 



INOUSTKISS. 


I'.uyvoxma. 


Waobs. 


OtrrpuT. 


Chemicals 




80 


1 »> 





Clay . . 




1.(00 


711.1 


■<) 


Poo<l . 




1,237 


7ff: • 


at 


I^athrr . 




«7 


•v.. 


1 


M«tal . 




(TiO 


77'. 


' •! 


Paper, etc . 




I, Ml 




"( 


SewiuK .... 




7ttS 




il 


AineltinK, etc 




i.mi 




I 


Soap . . . 




" 




M 


Stone . . 








<l 


Textile . . 








It 


Wixxl, etc 




2.2M 


i.SiM.m 


-J.-.. i.'M* 


MiKclUneous 


8,t-;<.w.: 






ij.fm 


S 6.5M.aM 


S 45,571,61.'! 



The clay and metal industries are foremost in their importan 

manuTacture from native raw material, the paper industry taking 
rank with them because of the establishment in 1S91 of the Denver 
Paper mills, which supplies a large part of the Western demand for 
printing paper. It is questionable whether any other given area of 
the same size in the United States has clay in equal quantity, quality 
and variety as the vicinity of Golden, fifteen miles west of Denver, 
and lying imtiie<liately in the base of the foot-hills. The same ledges 
furnish both plastic and fire-clays. These deposits are the main 
source of supply for the pressed brick, Roman tile, fire-brick, fire-clay 
goo<ls and sewer- j)tpc made at, or, near Denver. Similar beds also exist 
near Boulder and Morrison, while in the suburbs of Denver there are 
forty-two yards making common brick from local material, averaging 
1 25,000,000 brick per annum, representing a value of |»75o,ooo. The 
pressed brick industry is represented by five companies and the bricks 
are made in all shades of color to meet any architectural demand. 
Various styles of building tiles are also made. The local output of 
fire-brick excee<ls 3,000,000 per annum and the bricks are shipped 
throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Old Mexico, Arizona, Wyoming, 
Idaho, Utah, Montana, and even as far as Portland, Oregon, where 
they realize double the price of English imported fire-brick. Fire- 
clay roofing tile is one of the features of manufacture from the Golden 
clays, and superior paving bricks of Denver manufacture have been 
satisfactorily te3te<l on the streets of the city. Sewer pipe is exten- 
sively manufactured from these clays, supplymg the Colorado market 
and shipping to Utah, Wyoming and New Mexico. The Colorado 
market and the principal mining districts of the West are supplied 
with assayers* supplies from the fire-clays of this section, and these 
goods because of their superior tpiality are also sent to Old Mexico 
and South America. Floor tiling is also a specialty. The excellence 
of the local clays mn<l the growing itnjxirtancc of the home market, 
has led to the establishment of two jxittcries, making stoneware, etc. 
A third plant makes flower pots only. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. ;V,) 

The maaufacture of food pro;lucts consists of canned goods — veg- 
etables, fruits and meats — crackers, flour, maccaroni, packinghouse 
products, pickles and sauces, vinegar, and there are a number of 
large establishments for these various articles of supplj-, the value of 
the annual product of one packing-house being $2,300,000 according 
to the production of 1S92. 

The leather industry shows merely the great advantages ofiFered for 
an extensive tannery in Denver, with an average of 75,000 hides that 
could be annually utilized, but which are now shipped to Eastern 
markets. 

In the metal industry there are some very extensive works, such 
as art metal and wire works, foundries, machine shops for engines 
and boilers, brass founderies. builders' hardware, plating, sheet metal 
works, tinware, stoves, etc. One large stove foundry in Denver, 
manufactures modern patterns in large part from Colorado iron, but 
other establishments use little of the native material for want of 
facilities for making the native pig. The company also does general 
foundry work. 

The Denver Steel Rolling-Mill company was organized last year 
for the purpose of manufacturing barbel wire, wire nails> cotton ties 
and staples, and later ou wire cables, copper rods, copper wire and 
shovels. The plant will consist of eleven buildings, of which five, 
viz: the wire-drawing mill, the nail mill, the barbed wire mill, the 
boiler and engine house, and office building, are already finished. 
The new factory will have a capacity of about five cars per day for all 
products. The company will start in with about 150 employes, and 
when running to the full capacity will employ from 400 to 500 men. 

In December, 1892, the Denver Paper mills, situated near Denver, 
were completed at a cost of $370,000 for the production of news print 
paper. These mills now supply many of the newspapers of Denver, 
and meet many demands from other Western States, the value of the 
annual product having already reached a rate of $320,000. The paper 
is made from the white spruce wood of Colorado. This paper, besides 
reaching throughout Colorado, finds a large sale in Washington, 
Dakota, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska. In 
addition, the manager is now erecting a mill for the manufacture of 
book and letter paper, which, when completed, will be the largest 
single mill for that purpose in the United States, and will cost $503,- 
000. A still further addition will be a large mill, under the name of 
The Denver Sulphide Fiber Company, for the conversion of wood 
into pulp, by the soda proce s and the manufacture of manillas and 
other wrapping paper and also roofing and flooring paper. The three 
plants will cost an aggregate of $750,009, and the works in operation 
will represent a cash investment of $2,000,000. This pamphlet is 
printed on paper manufactured by the Denver Paper mill. 

The value of the product from the Denver smelters in 1892, in 
gold, silver, lead and copper, was $21,934,623. 



40 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The manufacture of textile fabrics is in its infancy in Denver. It 
is only three years since the first of the existing factories commenced, 
and there are as yet but three of them, viz. : a cotton factory, employ- 
ing 221 people; a knitting and blanket mill, employing twenty-five; 
and a small factory pro<lucing tassels, fringes and general passamen- 
terie. The Overland Cotton mill commence<l operations late in 1S91, 
and manufactures sheetings, drills, ducks and canton flannel and 
besides having a good home mirket, ships extensively throughout 
the entire country, lying between the Missouri river and the Pacific. 
The Hitchcock Woolen mills manufacture ladies' and gents' fine 
underwear and blankets, using Colorado wool of the finer kinds for 
the me<lium goods and the coarser wool for blankets, the sales of 
which practically demonstrating the broad field opened in Colorado 
for the wool industry. 

The year 1S92 has been marked by manufacturing developments 
in Denver, and is but another <lemonslration of Denver's destiny to 
be the great manufacturing center of the whole Trans-Missouri coun- 
try on account of her central location, possession of cheap coal and 
varied raw materials, good railroad collecting and distributmg facili- 
ties, fine climate, and plenty of intelligent white labor practically at 
Eastern prices. Denver still needs and presents good opportunities 
for the following industries: A malleable iron plant, a steel foundry, 
a plant for the manufacture of horse shoes, a plant making iron soil 
pipe for plumbers, gas fixtures, etc., an agricultural implement 
works, woolen mills making the cheaper and medium grades of 
blankets, al>o cassiraeres, general men's suitings and women's dress 
goods, a carpet factory utilizing Western wool, a knitting factory 
making medium grades of underwear, a stocking factory, a factory 
making cotton rope, twine, etc., a silk factory, a window shade fac- 
tory, a wool pulling factory and sheep skin tannery, a leather glove 
factory, a fabric glove factory, a silverware factory, utilizing local sil- 
ver, an envcloi)e factory, a hat factory, a bellows factorj-, a glue fac- 
tory, factories making mens' and l>oys' shoes and the heavy grades 
of laborers' boots and shoes, a linseed oil mill, a window and plate 
glass factory, pottery making queensware, etc., a beet sugar factory. 

Pueblo Mjiimfactorlos. 
The natural advantages favoring Pueblo as a manufacturing city 
are many. Among the most prominent is her location as regards con- 
venience to the v.ist mineral wealth of the greater portion of the 
States, the abundance of cheap coal for fuel, the vast deposits of 
valuable clays and stone in close proximity to the city, the Great 
Arkansas Valley cap.ible of prodiicing untold quantities of raw 
material for use in manufacturing; the great water-power alTordcd l)y 
a fall of seventeen feet to the mile, of the Arkansas river at Puchlo, 
and also the significant fact that all these vast resources, lying within 
Pueblo's easy reach are drawn to her by her railroads which lead out 
in eleven directions. And she is so locateil in tliis valley that every 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 4I 

incoming train from whatever direction has a " down hill pull " to her 
very gates. The development of manufacturing industries in Pueblo 
has been phenomenal. Pueblo certainly presents abundant opportu- 
nities for the profitable investment of capital. 

The following facts and figures which have been carefully com- 
piled, give the present capital, number of employes, annual product 
and pay-roll of its industries: 

Capital invested $14,457,025 00 

Value of product (including smelter) 30.234,773 00 

Annual pay-roll 7,497,222 00 

Average monthly pay-roll 624,7»VS 50 

Number of men employed 8,73S 00 

The iron and steel working concerns of Pueblo, which utilize the 
iron ore product of the State at present, number about one dozen, 
and include steel works, iron and brass foundries, rolling mills, spike 
and bolt works, boiler works, machine shops, wire works, iron water 
pipe works, mining machinery and car repair shops, and iron bridge 
works. These are the institutions which have given Pueblo the title 
which she so justly bears — " The Pittsburg of the West." The mag- 
nitude of these iron and steel industries will be better understood 
when the fact is known that they employ over 2.000 men and 
have an annual pay-roll of over f 1,600,000 while the annual product 
is over j55, 000,000. These institutions do a large business throughout 
the greater portion of all the Western States and Territories, from the 
Missouri river to the Pacific coast. The great Bessemer Steel plant 
is one of the largest and most complete plants of the kind in the 
Union, covering over forty-seven acres of land, and has a capital and 
surplus of over $3,200,000, while over 1,500 men are constantly 
employed, the works running night and day the year round. This 
company manufactures all sizes and sections of railroad steel rails, 
merchant bar iron, merchant steel, railroad spikes, nuts and bolts, 
Bessemer and foundry pig iron of all grades, speigleism and ferro 
manganese. The company also produces many millions of pounds of 
iron ore per annum from its iron mines in the mountains not many 
miles west of the city. 

The production of railroad steel rails, merchant steel, merchant 
bar iron, pig, etc., during the year 1S92, was over 170,000 tons, while 
recently another immense furnace has been added, and the capacity 
of the works has been enlarged in all ways, and further improve- 
ments are projected and are being carried out. This company recently 
took a large contract for steel rails as far east as the Missouri river. 
Among the other large plants in the iron and steel line, are the large 
mining machinery works, with a paid-up capital of ;J?25o,ooo, foundry 
and machine shops, boiler works, brass foundry, etc., etc. 

Oil refining and parafine have become leading industries of the 
State. The extensive operations carried on in this line in Pueblo, 
necessitates the employment of nearly 250 men, with an annual pay- 
roll of 5140,000, while the capital invested is $1,120,000, with an 
annual output of about $1,200,000. The Rocky Mountain Oil Com- 



42 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

pany has a paid-up capital of $1,000,000. The company's oil field is 
located near Florence, Colo., where they produce their oil, having 
put down thirty wells and are putting down others at the rate of two 
per month. The company owns its own pipe-line (thirty miles in 
length) from Florence to Overton, a suburb of Pueblo, and here is 
located on a tract of sixty acres of land, its refinery, which is one of 
the most complete in the country. Here are manufactured from the 
crude oil of Colorado, all the varieties of illuminating and lubricat- 
ing oils known to the art. Also parafine wax candles and coke, 
while the company will soon add the manufacturing of electric car- 
bons, the raw material for which is produced from their tar stills. In 
addition to these, chewing gum and toilet articles, such as vasaline, 
toilet soaps, axle grease, etc. will be manufactured here. The output 
of the company in finished products at present is $750,000 per annum. 
The annual output of crude oil is 20,000,000 gallons; product of illumi- 
nating oil, 8,000,000 gallons ; various grades of lubricating oils, 
8,000,000 gallons. 

The Continental Oil Company is also doing an extensive business, 
handling many kinds of illuminating and lubricating oils and gaso- 
line. Their trade also extending over a large territory. Pueblo has 
long been noted for her extensive smelting and refining works. 
There are now four smelting plants in Pueblo, and about 1,000 men 
employed by these establishments. During the year 1892, these 
smelters produced gold, silver and copper to the value $11,760,918.23, 
representing nearly 400,000 tons of ore. 

There are two very ample reasons why there is located at Pueblo 
numerous extensive establishments manufacturing pressed brick, also 
fire-brick, and in fact all classes of brick, also fire and coke oven tile, 
crucibles, scarifyers, mufHers, etc. etc., also plain and fancy pottery. 
These reasons are: First, that near or within easy reach of the city, 
is a great variety of clays of high commercial value, and these have 
naturally drawn the artisan. Second, the home market demands for 
all manufactured products of clay have drawn capital for the develop- 
ment of this vast natural resource. 

The home market is created by the large number of brick build- 
ings constantly being built in the city, and in fact in all the cities and 
towns in the State, and also by the numerous coke ovens and smelt- 
ers in Colorado and other States. There are at present about one 
dozen brick manufacturies in the immediate vicinity of Pueblo, with 
about 300 employes and a pay-roll of $200,000. The combined paid- 
up capital of these industries is about $350,000, and the value of their 
product is about $1,350,000, representing an annual output of about 
40,000,000 pressed brick, 10,000,000 fire-brick, 7,000 tons of coke oven 
tile and furnace linings, and 15,000,000 common and stock brick. 

In addition to the foregoing there are manufactured in Pueblo 
various products of leather, of lumber into fine office furniture, 
brooms, and brushes, candles, cement plaster, electric light carbons, 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 43 

electrical supplies, candies, carriages, wagons, carts, furnaces, jew- 
elry, horse-radish sauce, trunks, valises, tar products, toilet articles, 
awnings, wagon covers, stencils, seals, clothing, carpets, quilts, mat- 
tresses, carbonated beverages, cigars, confectionery, pottery, stone- 
ware, tents, blank books, iron cornice, harness, ice, bottled goods, 
and many others. Other establishments of a miscellaneous charac- 
ter ship large quantities of goods to the adjoining States and Terri- 
tories, in addition to supplying the local demand. 

In El Paso County. 

That portion of El Paso county immediately surrounding Colorado 
Springs and Manitou is rich in materials for manufacture, and con- 
siderable effort has been made in this direction during the past few 
years. These resources consist mainly of clays, sauds and silica, 
stones and minerals. The clays are utilized in Colorado Springs in 
the manufacture of pottery and various kinds of brick, while the 
principal manufactures are located at Colorado City, a suburb adjoin- 
ing Colorado Springs and having a population of 4,000. Here is 
located an extensive glass works plant which disburses $20,000 per 
month in wages to its employes. The principal manufacture of this 
establishment is light green hollow ware and bottles for the Manitou 
mineral water. The latter is a special and exclusive branch of the 
industry. The waters of Manitou Springs as they gush from the deep 
rocks at the base of the mountain, are so highly charged with car- 
bonic acid gas, that uo bottle made elsewhere is found strong enough 
to contain them. Bottles of certain thickness and of material assuring 
certain strength only are considered safe for this water. All the 
materials requisite are found within close proximity to the Springs, 
and the bottles are made at this factor3' only two and a half miles dis- 
tant from them. An additional plant has been established for the 
manufacture of flint glass, the materials for which are close at hand, 
and among the recent discoveries near by is an immense deposit of 
cryolite, in which it is expected to find the elements for clear and 
merchantable glass. A building has been constructed for the extrac- 
tion of these elements and the production of aluminum is one of the 
possibilities of manufacture at this plant. A large machine shop has 
been erected in connection with the glass works and various smaller 
industries are conducted in the town. Colorado City is an eligible 
site for manufacture of various kinds, with an inestimable abundance 
of the raw materials in great variety at its very doors and for many 
miles around. 

In Las Animas. 

The principal manufactories of Las Animas county, are located in 
Trinidad, which is conveniently situated to coal, iron, wood, stone- 
clays and other manufactured minerals. Principal establishments: 
One rolling-mill, one foundry, two smelters, three flouring mills, one 
planing-mill, four stone quarries, five saw-mills, one cement plant. 
Estimated capital invested. $300,000; value of annual output, $250,- 
000. The leading advantages of manufacture are unlimited supply 



4^ THE INDUSTRIES AND 

of coal delivered to manufacturers at |i per ton, a great variety of 
raw mateiials and the highest cash market in the State for manu- 
factured products. There are ten coal mines in operation near Trini- 
dad, and coking is a large industry at that place. Number of ovens, 
650; men employed, 700; capital invested, $390,000; output in 1882, 
tons, 201, 177. The manufactories most needed are woolen mills, tan, 
neries, beef canning, glass works, brick yards, cotton mills and other 
establishments to utilize the cheap fuel and raw material so abundant. 

Other Manufacturing Points. 

The town of Golden, in Jefferson county, is situated in the midst 
of the largest and most varied known deposits of manufactured clays 
in the State, and the local manufactures from these resources are fire- 
brick, pressed brick, tiling, pottery, plaster of paris, sewer pipe, stone- 
ware, calcined fire-clay, etc. Among other manufactures of Golden, 
are paper, lead pig, lime, wagons, beer, ale and porter. 

The City of Boulder, in Boulder county, possesses an iron foundry, 
machine shop, clay pipe factory, a brewery, three planing-mills and 
a number of smaller industries, while an extensive canning factory is 
among the industries at Longmont, in the same county. 

The City of Durango, in La Plata county, has taken the initial 
steps toward utilizing a few of the many resources of raw material in 
South-western Colorado, and has in operation a number of establish- 
ments other than smelters representing important productive enter- 
prises. The Durango Iron Works, with a capital of |50,ooo, employs 
fifteen men, with an annual pay-roll of |i5,ooo. The main building 
is 40x150 feet, with a foundry addition of 40x160 feet. It has two 
cupaios, brass furnace and all necessary equipments for a first-class 
foundry. Two flouring mills annually convert 250,000 bushels of 
wheat into flour. Two pressed brick establishments have a capacity 
for the manufacture of "|8o,ooo brick per day, employing a capital of 
$45,000. Lime, plaster, charcoal, planing-mills and saw-mills are 
among the establishments for manufacture, and are important in the 
value of their output. Durango has four smelters for the treat- 
ment of the high and low grade ores of the great San Juan region, 
employing hundreds of men and producing millions in bullion and 
other smelter products. 

In addition to the extensive manufacture of lubricating oils and 
other products from the great petroleum field at Florence, half a 
million dollars are invested in various manufactories at Cation City, 
Fremont county, drawing mostly upon the resource of native raw 
material. Such establishments embrace a roller process mill, a 
canning factory, machine and boiler works, carriage works, brick and 
tile manufactory, mineral springs bottling works, a cigar factory and 
other small establishments. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 45 



Colorado's Great Coal Fields. 



IN the great coal measures of Colorado there is a fuel supply for 
unknowa centuries to come. Estimates based upon official geolog- 
ical surveys, under both the United States and the State govern- 
ments, have placed the coal-bearing area of Colorado at varying figures, 
from 25,000 to 40,000 square miles. The most recent estimate, made as 
the result of actual geological measurement by Prof. A. C. Hills, of Col- 
orado, gives an area of 18, 100 square miles as the available capacity of 
the coal fields, distributed over the^ State as follows: 

ESTIMATED AREA. OF COLORADO COAI, FIEI^DS. 

Square Miles. 

Grand River Field (Western Colorado) 6,950 

Yampa River Field (Northwestern Colorado including part of 

Wyoming 1,100 

taPlata Field (Southern Colorado) 1,250 

Raton Field (Southeastern Colorado) 1,300 

Northern Colorado Field 6,800 

North Park Field 300 

South Park (Canon City and Tongue Mesa district — Central) . . 100 
Dakota Measures (South-western Colorado 300 

Total 18,100 

ESTIMATED AVAItrABLE COAX.. 

[By the term " available " is meant the area accessible to mining and 
transportion, according to present methods and facilities, and forms 
only one-eighth of the total area containing coal deposits. ] 

Available gross tonnage. 

Grand river 26,384,800,000 

Yampa Field 5,961,500,000 

La Plata Field 3,387,200,000 

Raton Field 4,490,200,000 

Northern Colorado Field 10,000,000,000 

North Park Field 2,568,600,000 

Canon City, South Park Field 429,000,000 

Dakota Measures 169,300,000 

Estimated available tonnage 55,197,100,000 

According to the foregoing figures, the States which rank Colorado 
in area of coal land are Illinois, with 36,000 square miles, and Mis- 
souri with its estimated 26,887 square" miles. Pennsylvania has only 
a little more than half the area, while Colorado divides honors with 
Iowa for third rank. This immense area embraces all varieties of 
coal, each in great abundance, including two extensive districts thus 
far discovered of the finest anthracite, while the best of lignites pre- 
dominate in all parts of the State, with numerous deposits of bitumi- 
nous and semi-bituminous coals. Prices of coal at the principal 
markets range as follows, retail: Anthracite, $9.25 per ton; bitumi- 
nous, $5; lignites, |53.5o(^ $4. 50 per ton; coal for furnace, |i lo J2 per 
ton, according to location. 

The average thickness of the coal seams now being worked is 5 
feet, 5 inches; the thickest, 45 feet; the thinnest, i foot, 8 inches. 
The average price paid miners for digging and loading coal and tim- 



46 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

bering the working places is from 65 to 75 cents per ton, screened 
coal. The average cost of producing the coal on cars, including 
royalty, is about $1.70. Number of men engaged in coal raining in, 
the State, 6,164; average annual wages, $4,905,159, estimated. Esti- 
mated total output for 1892, 3,358,000 tons. 



Stone and Marble. 

\ NY attempt to compute the enormous quantity of useful stone in 
L\ Colorado would be futile. The figures representing calculations 
^ upon weights and measures, would exhaust all the minerals with- 
in the comprehension of the human mind. Sand-stones, lime,lava rock, 
granite and marble abound everywhere from the eastern foot-hills to 
the western extremity of the Rocky Mountains. Quarries are numer- 
ous on every line of railway through the mountains. Marble of finest 
quality and of all colors exists at many places, and in one county 
alone, the beds are said by experienced quarrymen to be inexhausti- 
ble. The stones are of the most durable kind and of every known 
color and texture, classified as red sand-stone, gray, pink, white and 
yellow sand-stone, lime-rock, lava-rock and other varieties, together 
with the granites of many shades and colors. These building stones 
are used in Colorado to the exclusion of all other stones, and are 
coming into great demand in many parts of the country. The solidity 
of the stones and their beautiful colors make them everywhere desira- 
ble, and their transportation has become an important part of rail- 
way traffic. The stone buildings of Denver and other Colorado 
cities are uniformly unique and beautiful. There have been immense 
quantities of the finest flagging, dimension, bridge and pier stone, 
marble and paving blocks taken from the Colorado quarries and sent 
to Kansas City, Salt Lake City, St. Louis, Omaha and Chicago. Tiie 
rapid growth of building in the State, together with the increased 
demand abroad is daily widening the scope of the stone business, 
which is already an industry of great proportions, giving occupation 
and maintenance to thousands of people. As yet there is but little 
development in marble, but in this material in due time Colorado 
will rival the world. 



The Live Stock Industry. 

Cattle. 

UNDER the present changed conditions due to agricultural devel- 
opment a peculiar interest attaches to the live-stock industry 
of Colorado. Cattle raising had its beginning with the 
first settlements in the State, and continues in the lead, a source 
of considerable revenue and giving employment to many people. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 47 

Nearly all the wiile expanse of plains and valleys was the undisputed 
domain of the cattle king, and the business was conducted almost 
exclusively upon the ranges that covered a territory sufficient for a 
vast empire. For many years the estimated number of cattle in 
Colorado was 1,500,000 head, three-fourths of this number being the 
" wild rustlers of the plains." The number is now estimated by the 
best authorities at approximately 900,000 head. The decrease in 
number is no detriment. It means an improvement in the stock and 
better profits for their keeping. The great ranges have been broken 
and contracted, the herds have been distributed in smaller numbers 
throughout the State, and the larger proportion is now maintained 
upon the farms or within the province of agriculture, within easy 
reach of the owners. The movement for some j'ears past has been 
toward a combination of the agricultural and stock-raising interests, 
similar in every essential to the methods of the Middle States. The 
finest hay-making grasses and clovers on the continent grow luxuri- 
antly in Colorado. Of all these clovers, alfalfa is the best, and no 
grass or clover is known that will produce hay so valuable as feed 
for cattle. In this product alone, Colorado possesses untold wealth, 
and this new element in agriculture has entered so largely into the 
live-stock industry that its cultivation will promote cattle-raising in 
the State more than all other conditions combined. This changed 
condition is especially favorable to the careful breeding and raising 
of stock of all descriptions, and among the public benefits which 
have followed of late years is the establishment of the dairy in many 
places and on an extensive scale, this enterprise, in its turn, involving 
the breeding of improved graded and thoroughbred stock. These 
and numerous other conditions favorable to the live-stock industry 
bespeak its increase and improvement for many years in the future. 

The range cattle business, however, will not cease for many years 
to come. There are many millions of acres of unclaimed Government 
land on the eastern and western sides of the range and in the moun- 
tain parks, where there is room for great herds to browse and fatten 
and multiply. While there has been a dropping oflF in the herds of 
the eastern ranges there has been a large increase on the Western 
Slope. Here the country is new and comprises a vast territory of 
open land, hills and valleys, endowed by nature with every condition 
favorable to live-stock. Here the water is abundant, the climate is 
milder, and the mountains and lesser hills afford protection from the 
rigors of winter. Southern and South-western Colorado are sections 
equally favorable to the live-stock industry, and cattle-raising con- 
tinues to be a profitable business of the people. 

Horse.s. 

The breeding of blooded and thorough-bred horses has, within the 
past few years, become an industry of extensive scope and profit in 
Colorado. In addition to a number of thoroughly equipped stock-farms 
in various portions of the State, almost every farmer owns one or 
more brood mares, and in some instances a herd of them, for the 



48 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

reproduction of improved stock, while the greater tendency is 
toward the raising of mixed breeds, in which the heavy draft horse 
predominates. There are a number of stockmen devoted entirely to 
the reproduction of fine thorough-bred and trotting horses. These 
horses have a ready sale, and bring good prices in the local markets. 
Colorado possesses many advantages to the horse. The climate is 
beneficial to the animal, as in like manner it is beneficial to man. 
Respiration iq a rarefied atmosphere, giving development to the 
chest, gives also superior lung power and a quickened temperament, 
corresponding with this development. It also stimulates digestion, 
and gives increased capacity to the stomach. The horse feeds more 
liberally, assimulates freely, and, therefore, takes on flesh, strength 
and endurance. With ample pasturage seven months in the year, 
and with feeding upon the many varieties of nutritious hay and grain 
through the winter, the horse can be raised more cheaply in Colorado 
than in any State in the Union, and there is abundance of room for 
an extensive industry in this line. 

Sheep and Wool. 

Colorado has a perfect adaptation to the sheep and wool industry. 
In the few years past the best conducted flocks have paid in wool and 
mutton about 20 per cent, of the capital invested. It is estimated 
that there is room, resource and facilities for the raising and keeping 
of 25,000,000 head of sheep in the State. There are now approximately 
2,000,000 head, ranging in value from $2 to I3.50 per head for com- 
mon, and $6 to $8 for young fancy breeds. In former years the flocks 
were maintained almost entirely upon the ranges, and, owing to the 
lack of grazing and the extreme exposure in the winter, the business 
was hazardous and often attended with disaster. But now all the 
dangers and disadvantages, except such as are everywhere usual, may 
be averted and there is no branch of the live-stock industry more cer- 
tain of remunerative returns than that of sheep and wool growing in 
Colorodo. 

Sheep can be raised in all parts of the State, either in great herds 
upon the range or in small flocks upon the farm. With the late great 
increase in farming and more particularly in the cultivation of pas- 
tures sown in alfalfa, clover or the common grasses, it is found that 
the keeping of sheep in small numbers is more profitable. Thus has 
come about a system of better feeding and more protection, and the 
animals, therefore, have a better development, are more thrifty and 
there is a great decrease in mortality from disease and exposure. 

Another very important element of increased value is the steady 
advancement that is made in breeding for improved grades. The pre. 
vailing breed is the Spanish Merino, and nearly all the flocks have an 
admixture of this blood. The Downs breed, the Shropshires and the 
Cotswolds and Delaines also comprise an important number among 
our flocks. The introduction of the California and Oregon sheep, is 
also one of the factors in the improvement of the wool industry of 
Colorado. The annual wool-clip is now valued at about $1,500,000, 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 49 

and there is a recent improvement of about 20 per cent, in the quality 
of wool grown. All this product has in former years been shipped to 
Eastern markets, and extensively used in the high-grade manuiac- 
tures. Within the past year, however, a woolen mill has been started 
in operation in Denver, the first step towards the conversion of all 
this raw material into such woolen fabrics as are in largest demand in 
the Rocky Mountain region. Such enterprises will multiply as pop- 
ulation increases, and there will be a corresponding increase in the 
demand for wool of home production. Both for wool and mutton, 
Colorado presents many advantages over the Eastern States in the 
sheep-raising industry. One of the prime advantages is the fact that 
this is a land of free grass. The sheep can graze upon free grass for 
eight months in the year and be fed with hay from cheap lands 
through the winter. Here the limit of time for necessary feeding is 
about three months. In the Eastern and Middle States about five 
months is the rule. Then again the sheep raised in Colorado are not 
subject to the ills that reduce profit elsewhere. Distemper here is 
scarcely known; there is no foot rot, and grub in the head is rare. 
Scab is not often prevalent, and it yields quickly to simple remedies. 

The Hog. 
Hog raising as an industry is quite new in Colorado, but is becom- 
ing an important branch of farm production. It is found that the 
country is well suited to swine, and swine well suited to the country. 
Many of the farmers have recently turned their attention to the cul- 
tivation of corn on a large scale, and, as grain will not bear transpor- 
tation ia competition with the corn of other states, it must be con- 
verted into pork and beef. Of these meats, pork pays the best and 
will be found the quickest to make returns. Alfalfa is also an excel- 
lent food for fattening hogs. They can subsist and fatten on alfalfa 
pasturage at a cost of almost nothing to the farmer. Though the hog 
bears the reputation of being a filthy animal, it has been found that 
cleanliness is as beneficial to him as to other stock. His surroundings 
in Colorado compel him to be decent. Here the water is clear and 
cold, and the ground uniformly dry and sandy, admitting ordinarily 
of little mud or filth. His food and water are therefore wholesome. 
The results are that he is a healthy animal, easy to raise, easy to 
fatten and makes a neat, sweet flavored porker. 



Climate and Health. 



THE efl&cacy of Colorado climate in the cure of lung diseases has 
long been recognized in the scientific world. Physicians in 
Europe, and other foreign lands, frequently send their patients 
to Colorado for benefit, and possible cure. In all countries, high alti- 
tude and a dry atmosphere are the healthy places for residence. 
The purity and peculiar qualities of the atmosphere are the main 



50 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

reasons popularly ascribed. Pure, dry air, brilliant sunshine and 
agreeable weather ail the year round, are the special virtues of Colo- 
rado climate. That the climate is especially efficacious iti the arrest 
and^cure of pulmonary diseases, thousands of people in the State 
can testify by their happy experiences. There are a great many 
people who came to Colorado s. few years ago, poor and broken down 
in health, and who are now strong, active and prosperous in business. 

The immediate hygienic influences of the altitude, the exhilarating 
atmosphere and the pleasant surroundings upon both body and mind 
of the invalid, are defined by a Denver physician ao follows: "There 
is a sufficient altitude to cause lung and chest development • by the 
increased respiration which becomes necessary; there is the dry, ex- 
hilarating mountain air, with the absence of malaria; there is the 
tonic effect of a bracing climate, without its rigors, an atmosphere 
filled with ozone; cool nights in summer; a bright, sunny sky almost 
every day in the year, conducive to cheerfulness, and bringing a 
new pleasure every morning. It naturally follows from these condi- 
tions, that both mind and body are constantly stimulated in their 
functions." 

The average number of cloudy days in Colorado is about forty in 
the twelve months. This does not mean an absolute disappearance 
of clouds during all the remainder of the time. The pocket diary of 
an old citizen of Denver, who was cured of asthma by a residence of 
a few ye?irs, shows a record of only thirty-three days in twelve years 
in which the sun was not visible in the twenty-four hours. This 
record is important, inasmuch as it presents a peculiar phase relating 
to the effects of sunshine, which is not overlooked by the medical 
profession, namelj' the curative effect of atmospheric electricity. It 
is affirmed that the increased electric influence of high altitude atmos- 
phere is one of the most valuable aids in the battle against lung dis- 
ease. With a clear sky the electricity of the atmosphere is always 
positive. Continued mediumship of the human body between the 
positive air and the negative earth, is a constant renewal of vitality. 
For this reason in part, camping out as much as possible in dry and 
elevated countries is advised by physicians. 

Persons seeking places of best advantage for health have their 
choice between the cities, towns and suburban retreats on the plains, 
and the watering places and other resorts in the mountains. For the 
winter, most persons prefer the comforts, the excitement and social 
pleasures of the city. In the summer, they derive greater benefits 
from ajaunt through the mountains and a sojourn at one or more of 
the numerous watering places where hot and cold mineral springs of 
great curative merit abound. A day's journey by railway into the 
mountains will take the traveler to heights of from 10,000 to 12,000 
feet. Even to the healthy new-comer, the strain of sudden elevation 
to these heights is very severe. Some of the best health resorts are 
located in the foot-hills and the valleys, and the sufferer may go at 
once to these places. In many instances the plains are the more 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 51 

preferable for a permanent residence, and many families take up their 
residence at some pleasant location in a farming community. 

The records that have been kept by some of the Denver physi- 
cians in the treatment of consumptive patients show some marvelous 
results of a brief residence in Colorado. The records show a large per 
cent, of improvement for patients in the first and second stages of 
consumption. All persons afflicted, however, are advised not t© delay 
their coming until the disease has passed the first stage, while little 
promise is offered those, except prolonged existence, who come in the 
third stage of the disease. 

The climate of Colorado, is beneficial not to the consumptive alone. 
It will wear malaria out of the system. People come from all parts of 
the world with broken constitutions and soon recover. These include 
men and women with shattered nervous systems, dyspeptics, rheumatics, 
paralytics, extremfe billiousness, liver and kidney diseases and a host 
of kindred ailments. A large per cent, of these are restored to health 
and it is rarely that anj' one is not improved. In all such cases the 
fine medicinal virtues of Colorado's numerous mineral springs play an 
important part. 

Regarding the weather in Colorado, there are some very greatly 
erroneous impressions, particularly among people in America. Among 
those who have never visited the State the impression prevails that 
the winters are severely cold, stormy and disagreeable. The winters 
are most delightful, averaging as high in bright, sunny days as the 
summers. In all the temperate zone there is no country where the 
weather is more equable, with a greater average of mildness. During 
the cold periods of winter the mercury seldom reaches zero in the day 
and occasionally falls to lo or 15 below at night. In such spells zero 
would be a fair average for the coldest period of three or four days or 
a week. The average maximum temperature for January is about 60 
degrees, for February 60. The minimum temperature for January is 
about 15 degrees below zero. For February the minimum is about 10 
degrees below. The maximum temperature prevails for two-thirds of 
the entire season. 

Late in the spring and early in the summer the rains begin. It 
rains frequently for weeks, and the showers are often copious, and 
usually seasonable for the farms and pastures. Neither cyclones nor 
sun-strokes ever occur in Colorado. 

The summers are seldom excessively warm. July is the only hot 
month, when the maximum temperature will range in the nineties, 
and the minimum fifty. The sun shines bright and hot, but it 
is everywhere pleasant in the shade. No country in the world can 
excel the bright, genial, sunny weather of a Colorado autumn. For 
the most part it is warm, but seldom too warm or too cool for com- 
fort, and the mild, pure atmosphere prevails uninteruptedly through 
the season. 



52 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Weatlier Statistics. 
The following tables is a meterological monthly record and yearly 
averages, for a period of five years in Colorado, as compiled by Sar- 
geant J. J. Gilligan, of the United States Signal Service, stationed at 
Denver. The tables of maximum, average and minimum tempera- 
ture form an interesting study, fully confirming the most favorable 
representations made concerning Colorado climate. 
MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE. 





JAN. 


Feb. Mar. 


Apr. May. June ijDLY. Aug. Sept. 


Oct. Nov. 
1 


Dec. 


1886. . 


fi2.8 


71.0 


68.0 


74,6 


89.9 


92.7 


96.3 94.3 


85.7 


77.0 


63.0 


64.8 


1887. . 


66.9 


70.9 


74 7 


82.. 5 


89.4 


95.9 


92.1 


94.6 


87.6 


85.1 


73.7 


66.6 


1888. . 


76.0 


70.5 


70.0 


SO.R 


80.5 


97.7 


100.3 


92.4 


90.0 


79.8 


70.2 


67^5 


1889. . 


iJfi.O 


61.0 


70.0 


78.0' 


83.0 92.0 


! 100.0 


98.0 


94.0 


85.0 


60.0 


66.0 


1890. . 


78.0 


77.0 


71.0 


77.0 


88.0 94.0 


j 97.0 


98.0 


87.0 


75.1 


74.0 


76.0 



AVERAGE TEMPERATURE. 





Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar 


Apr 


May. 


June 


July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct 


Nov. 


Dec 


1886. . 


21 


39 


34 


44 


61 


65 


74 


71 


60 


52 


33 


37 


1887. . 


31 


32 


46 


49 


60 


69 


69 


68 


63 


48 


40 


29 


1888. . 


27 


39 


33 


53 


53 


68 


71 


65 


61 


48 


34 


34 


1889. . 


27 


30 


43 


51 


56 


64 


72 


73 


60 


52 


32 


40 


1890. . 


28 


34 


41 


48 


58 


68 


75 


69 


68 


50 


40 


39 



MINIMUM TEMPERATURE. 





Jan. 


Feb. 


Mar 


Apr, 


May. 


June July. 


Aug. 


Sept. 


Oct. 


Nov.! Dec. 


1886. . 


—18.9 


2.9 


-10. 7 


20.5 


35.5 


46.8 


.55,5 


48,5 


29.0 


22.6 


— 6.0 


1.4 


1887 . . 


—17.6 


-2.;; 


13.2 


20.5 


30.9 


43.7 


.50,0 


46.9 


35.0 


7.8 


-14.2 


-13.6 


1888. . 


-20.3 


15.5 


— 1.5 


30.0 


31.5 


41,0 


51,4 


49.2 


38.0 


26.0 


11.5 


7.2 


1889. . 


3.5 


-7.0 


18.0 


29.0 


32.0 


37 ro 


50.0 


46.0 


.30.0 


25.0 


S.O 


4.0 


1890. . 


— 7.5 


-8.0 


5.0 


19,5 


31.8 


37.0 


54,0 


48.0 


34.0 


25.1 


17.0 


13.8 



Dash ( — ) denotes below zero. 

Health and Pleasure Resorts. 

Many of the most eminent physiciatis in the world have given 
testimony that Colorado is a land of healing. Many ills of human 
flesh that have passed beyond the aid of medical skill, have been 
cured by nature's remedies dispensed through pure atmosphere, the 
gladsome sunshine and the sparkling waters of Colorado's mineral- 
laden mountains. 

Health-giving mineral springs abound in all parts of the moun- 
tainous regions of the State, and also upon the plains some of the 
most efficacious waters are found. Many thousands who have come 
from all parts of the world to these healing fountains, will testify to 
their worth. The thermal springs, which abound in great numbers 
especially possess all those cleansing virtues which attract a suffering 
people from their homes, and allure them to the utmost ends of the 



RESOURCES* OF COLORADO. 53 

earth in search of promised relief. In Colorado it is not an illusion. 
SuflFerers from the most serious organic diseases are positively cured, 
or greatly improved, and their lives happily prolonged by the persis- 
tent use of these waters, both as a bath and a drink. 

These thermal springs, located in different portions of the State, 
are not always identical in their mineral elements, but in many 
instances contain more or less of the same ingredients, in some 
instances difiFering widely in their chemical combination, and there- 
fore being applicable to different diseases. Analyses of some of 
these waters show a single spring to contain carbonate of soda, sul- 
phate of magnesia, carbonate of iron, sulphate of soda, sulphate of 
lime, chloride of sodium, chloride of calcium and magnesium, sili- 
cate of soda and sulphate of potash. In most of these mineral 
springs, whether hot or cold, the predominating minerals are car- 
bonate of soda, sulphate of soda, sulphate of magnesia and iron. 
At some of the splendid resorts, where hot springs exist, the patient 
has all the benefits of a Turkish bath, with the additional efficacy of 
these strongly-mineralized waters. 

The diseases which yield the more readily to- these waters, are 
rheumatism, consumption, asthma, liver, kidney and skin diseases, 
malarial poisoning and nervous prostration. It is not claimed that 
miracles of cure may be wrought by these waters alone. 

Not alone do these life renewing, sparkling streams which gush 
spontaneously from the mountain sides, invite the invalid and the 
weary. 'What with its beautiful towns and cities, its gorgeous moun- 
tain peaks and lovely valleys, its awful canons, its streams and its 
forests, its broad green parks and its charming crystal lakes that mir- 
ror the azure heavens in the mountain tops, nature has given to Col- 
orado with lavish hand many wooing attractions for man's delight. 
In all these charms is found a panacea for the ilij of LuUy, the cares 
of life and the distorted fancies of mind diseased. 

For the pleasure seeker and the tourist, no state in the Union, no 
country in the world, offers such a combination of attractions. Upv^n 
each route of the many railway lines that thread their way through 
the mountains there is an ever-changing panorama of interesting 
grandeur, while the weird enchantment of far-reaching vistas is broken 
with delightful visions of the verdant fields and meadows and valleys 
of the plains. 

The watering places of Colorado have become numerous of recent 
years, with ample and splendid accommodations, while the streau^i, 
the lakes and parks, with their great areas of forest, afford the richest 
sport in hunting, fishing and rustic recreation. Those who come are 
enchanted with the delightful scenes and a Hanging memory brings 
them again j'ear after year. 



54 THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Educational Advantages. 



THE system of public instruction in Colorado for its excellency and 
substantial establishment is unsurpassed by any State in America. 
Considering the brief period of the State's industrial existence.. 
no country in the world can show equal advancement in the cause of 
education. In two essentials especially the schools of Colorado pos- 
sess peculiar and superior advantages, namely^ the enthusiastic devo- 
tion of the people and the fostering protection of the State, which 
holds within its disposal great resources of wealth, especiallj' provided 
for the maintenance of the schools for all time, supplemented by the 
moderate constitutional tax levy for special school purposes. 

The history of public education in Colorado was that of vicissitude 
consonant with the struggles of the territory through the early years 
into the organized life of Statehood. Its period of true and substan- 
tial development, therefore has been within the past fifteen years, and 
along with a thorough system of public schools established on the 
permanent foundation of an ample fund that will grow with the fur- 
ther development of the State, rather than diminish by use, have 
grown up colleges, universities and numerous other institutions of 
learning, whose foundations are laid to anticipate the increase of 
population and the great upbuilding of the West for generations to 
come. 

In the beginning of school history, thirty years ago, the respective 
districts, each of them the size of a State, 6ontained less than a score 
of school population. At the time of Territorial organization, with 
a population of 25,000, there were less than 4,500 women, and no 
native children of school age. With the year 1870, the beginning of 
the State's permanent growth (though still as a Territory), also began 
the modern period, or permanent development of education. In 
1875, Colorado contained 20,000 school children, with a school attend- 
ance not exceeding 10,000. 

By the enabling act, the State received from the general Govern- 
ment two sections of land in every township, the proceeds from the 
sale of which is to constitute a permanent fund, the interest only to 
be expended in support of common schools. Seventy-two other sec- 
tions were set apart for the support of a State University. Thus the 
foundation of a splendid school system was early laid. Under this 
grant it is estimated that the State became owner of 3,500,000 acres 
of land, the larger part of it being the best agricultural and mineral 
lands in Colorado, with favorable location, to be used exclusively for 
the benefit of schools. Of this laud, about 70,000 acres have been 
sold, and nearly 1,000,000 acres are under lease, yielding an annual 
income of over |8o,ooo. The recent and numerous new discoveries 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 55 

of gold and silver has greatly increased the demand for leases of 
mineral lands. From these sources, a permanent fund has been 
created, that now amounts to about $1,070,000. For all school pur- 
poses, Colorado has been most liberal in the expenditure of money. 
School-houses are numerous throughout the State, and some of the 
largest, most splendid and costly school structures on the American 
continent are to be found within her borders, especially in the city 
of Denver. Since the State was admitted into the Union, in 1876, 
there has been expended on the common schools alone, an amount 
approximating Ji6,ooo,ooo. This does not include the State Univer- 
sity, Agricultural College, School of Mines and the State Normal 
School, all of which are State institutions. 

The school population of the State is now (in 1893), 106,754. 
Total value of school property, 15,790,770. 

As a result of thirty years of organized effort, the greater propor- 
tion of development being for the past ten years, the system of public 
instruction in Colorado is as near perfection as it can be found in any 
State of the Union, the work of a century giving them no advantage 
in the points of excellence and advancement. Comparing the year 
1S71 with the year 1877, when the first report under the State admin- 
istration was made, there was an increase in important particulars, 
such as school population, enrollment, number of districts, number 
of buildings, value of school property, etc., of lOo to 500 per cent. 
Comparing 1871 with 1892, the last year's record, for the same items 
there is an increase of 800 to 2,100 per ceht. The growth has been 
healthful and symmetrical. From elementary schools to university 
development has been gradual and therefore stable. With the roots 
of the system firmly planted in deep soil, the wonderful expansion 
that is now going on at the top in the higher institutions of learning 
is natural and timely, and comes with it the assurance of a steady 
development as with that of all other interests of the State. The grad- 
uates of the public scTbools of the State are not only finishing their 
courses in the home colleges and- universities, but have ,been admit- 
ted to the foremost institutions of the land, and after completing full 
courses of study have returned, crowned with honor and distinction. 
The quality of the work done in the schools of Colorado may be 
measured by the records of the graduates in positions of responsibil- 
ity, distinction and trust, which they are filling within and without 
the State. 

The universities and leading colleges of the State are as follows: 
The State University of Colorado, located at Boulder; the State Agri- 
cultural College, at Fort Collins; the State School of Mines, at 
Golden; the State Normal School at Greeley, all under the control of 
the State Governmelit. The University of Denver, under control of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church; the Colorado College at Colorado 
Springs; the Westminster University of Colorado, located at Denver, 
and under control of the Presbyterian Church; the Presbyterian Col- 
lege of the South-west, located at Del Norte, in the San Luis valley; 



5(5 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

the Longmont College, a Presbyterian establishment at Longmont; 
the Tillitson Academy, under control of the Congregational Church, 
located at Denver; St. John's College and Wolfe Hall, Denver, under 
control of the Episcopalians, Jarvis Hall, another branch, being 
under special charge of St. John's Cathedral; the College of the 
Sacred Heart, conducted by the fathers of the Society of Jesus. 
There are numerous other institutions of learning and private schools 
of varied character and in great numljers. In all the institutions 
named, the scope of study is comprehensive, embracing the special- 
ties indicated, the professions and the higher branches of learning 
for both men and woman. 

Cost of Living. 

The ample facilities of transportation afforded by the numerous 
railways which connect all points in the State with the markets of 
the nation, and the great increase of recent years in the home supply 
from agriculture, manufactures and other sources, have rendered the 
matter of living in Colorado a problem of no greater difficulty than 
in the older States of the country. The prices current in the retail 
markets will serve as the best indicator to heads of families: 

Flour, Colorado standard, first grade, |i. 50 per cwt.; second grade, 
$1.35; dressed beef, loins, 14 and 15 cents per pound; ribs, 9 and loc; 
hams, sugar cured, 14 and isU^'i breakfast bacon, choice, 15c; mut- 
ton, 15c; butter, creamery, 33 and 35c; sweet dairy, 20 and 22c; eggs, 
20 and 25c per dozen. All vegetables as cheap as Eastern or Middle 
States. Dry goods and clothing, prices nearly correspond with East- 
ern markets. 

The rent of houses and rooms in the cities and larger towns is pro- 
portionately the item of largest expense. Cottages of five and six 
rooms (in Denver) rent for $15, ii8, |20, $2$ and $35 per month, 
according to the location and style of building. Two story houses, 
from $2,5 to I75 per month; larger dwellings at prices proportionately 
larger. Furnished rooms rent at prices ranging from $6 to $18 per 
month, the average being about $10 per month for single occupants. 
Hotel rates, according to the class of house, range from I28 to $75 
per month ($1.50 to 14 per day for transients). Table board at hotels 
$4 50 to |i 2 per week. Room and board at boarding houses range 
from $7 to |i2 per week. Regular meals are given at restaurants at 
25 to 75 cents, and the cheaper restaurant is an institution that obtains 
with popular patronage throughout the State, beiug especially numer- 
ous in all large towns and cities. In the mountain districts and at 
points elsewhere remote from the centers of commerce, the prices for 
all things range slightly higher than in the cities on the plains. 

Although the wage-earning people of Colorado are as closely cir- 
cumscribed by the cost of living in comparison with their earnings 
as in other industrial States, the thrift of this class is remarkable. 
A large per cent, of this population, including the laborers, clerks 
and working women, own the houses they live in. The many easy 
opportunities of securing a home in Colorado are among the flatter- 
ing inducements to the poor man, and this is of itself a good founda 
tiou for his fortune. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



Iron Resources of Colorado. 



LARGE bodies of iron are numerous in Colorado. It has been 
often repeated by scientific explorers, that Colorado compares 
favorably, as to iron resources, with many States better known 
in this respect, and recent developments have shown that the iron 
industry of the State offers a field of great promise for manufacturers. 
The sections of the State where iron deposits are known to exist in 
the largest bodies, and of best qualitj', are in the counties of Chaffee, 
Gunnison, Las Animas, Saguache, Boulder, Pitkin, Routt and 
Conejos. 

These great deposits remain practically undeveloped, mainly for 
the want of manufacturing enterprise in the West. The extensive 
iron works of the Colorado Coal and Iron Co., at Pueblo, is the only 
establishment of the kind, manufacturing exclusively from the native 
ores. These works are built upon a large scale, and produce pig-iron, 
steel rails, iron castings, cast iron pipe, merchant bar, nails, spikes, 
and gas, sewer and water pipes. The output is consumed mainly in 
Colorado, but the markets for such wares are open and inviting in all 
the adjacent States and Territories of the Rocky Mountain region. 
The ores thus far mined and used by the Pueblo works are true " Bes- 
semer," and their freedom from phosphorus is their most striking 
characteristic. The ore taken from their principal mine will not 
average over 0.008 per cent, of phosphorus, though not so free from 
sulphur, showing from one-tenth, to as high as two per cent, in ship- 
ping lots, perhaps yielding something under one per cent, in a 
general average. The average percentage of metallic iron (actual 
shipments), is fifty-seven; lowest, fifty; highest, sixty-three. 

The Breece iron ore at Leadville, which is mined with the precioug 
metals, and used by the Colorado Coal and Iron Co., has been 
described as a magnetite, though it now appears that it contains more 
hematite. This ore has been developed to a width of fifty feet, and 
its limits are unknown. The ore carries, besides iron, manganese, 
nickel, cobalt, zinc, copper, gold, silver, arsenic, antimony, calcium, 
magnesium, aluminium, titanium, carbonic acid," phosphoric acid, 
chlorine and water. Such an analysis, presented merely as qualita- 
tive, might well terrify an iron master. The sum total of the impuri- 
ties, however, with the exception of silica, falls under one per cent, 
and even of this over half is magnesia. This elaborate analysis was 
made by Mr. Hillebrand, of the U. S. Geological Survey. A com- 
mercial analysis made at the Colorado School of Mines on average 
shipping lots, showed iron, 60.5; silica, 5.80; and phosphorus, 0.03 
per cent. This ore has been used both as flux in lead smelting, and 
for the manufacture of pig-iron. 



5g THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The largest ore bodies in the State are found in Gunnison county. 
These deposits are almost wholly undeveloped, and their extent 
unmeasured. Here it is claimed that the supply is inexhaustible. 
The largest veins so far known are magnetic. The following is an 
official analysis made by Prof. Regis Chauvenet of the State School 
of Mines of the ores taken from the "Iron King," the largest known 
iron body in Gunnison county, the samples being taken from a vein 
seventy feet in width, and of quantity so great that it is incalculable. 

Sample from whole mass .... Metallic iron, 49.71 jt 

Sample, omitting only quartz-streak near foot-wall " 52.16 

General sample from 40 feet nearest one wall ... " 55.62 

Sample from best exposures in whole width ... " 58.19 

Sample from best exposure nearest lime wall ... " 67.27 

An average of 6o per cent, can easily be mined, by rejecting only 
such streaks as naturally separate in the sorting. A general analysis 
average of total exposure, gave as follows: 

Water 0.65 

Silica 3.85 

Iron, metallic 58.75 

Sulphur . 0.123 

Phosphorus . 0.044 

Lime trace 

Magnesia trace 

This is first-class ore, and other analyses have shown its average 
sulphur to be less than shown in these examinations. 

In the same County are many smaller mines, with rich manganese 
ore. After roasting, this ore yields 35 to 40 per cent, iron, and from 
15 to 25 of manganese. Near to these great iron fields are coal beds, 
notably those in the vicinity of Crested Butte, and at the head-waters 
of Ohio Creek, already accessible by railroads, which connect at 
Gunnison with the main lines reaching every part of the State. 
Limestone is abundant, and has been developed and shipped at 
several points. 

The ore chiefly smelted, thus far, at Pueblo, is from the Calumet 
mine, of Chaffee County, a great magnetite deposit, whose average 
analysis is given herewith: 

Silica 7.04 

Alumina 1.90 

Per-oxide of iron 59.76 

Protoxide of iron 26.88 

Bi-sulphide of iron 1.14 

Lime 1.59 

Magnesia • • , 1.70 

Phosphoric add 0.016 

Titanic acid trace 

Iron, metallic ,63.28 

Sulphur 0.61 

Phosphorus 0.007 

The deposits here briefly described form, of course, only a minority 
of those known. The great deposit (Hematite), of Gunnison County, 
near Powderhorn P. O. (CeboUa District), will not be long in attract- 
ing the attention of iron men, and in the same hills are abundant 
deposits of manganese ore of all grades, frbm pure black oxide to 
ores to be classed as iron, with manganese in various proportions. 
The wonderful, but undeveloped mass of magnetite above Ashcroft^ 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 51) 

ia Pitkin County, is perhaps the most massive of any of the veins 
yet discovered, though its altitude has prevented much exploration. 

Anticipating an era of great manufacturing in Colorado, a com. 
pauy has been formed for the establishment of iron and steel works 
in Denver, with a capital of millions. The operations of this com- 
pany will be based upon calculations as follows: That the ore and 
the fuel lie in so near proximity that all the material for the produc- 
tion of a ton of Bessemer pig-iron, delivered at a suitably located 
furnace, would, on the basis of a most liberal estimate, cost $g as a 
maximum, with the probability that it would be nearer $7 than $9, and 
that a fair rate of freight on pig-iron, on large contracts, from 
such furnace to Denver, would be $2 per ton. Taking the maximum 
at $g and adding $2 for labor and $1 for general repairs and expense, 
and then adding $2 for freight, a total cost of $14 for Bessemer pig 
iron in Denver is given, so that ^15 would represent a selling price 
with fair profit. These are maximum figures, and recent closer esti- 
mates place the cost of production as low as |i2 per ton. 



A Great Railway Center. 



THE numerous railway systems in Colorado form a net-work of lines 
throughout the State. Nine main lines with their many branches 
and extensions, having a total trackage of 4,675 miles in the State, 
all center in Denver, and that city has thereby become the greatest rail- 
way point west of St. Louis. Seven of these lines, including two 
lines of the Union Pacific, represent five great railway systems which 
have extended their main lines from the East into Colorado. To the 
southeast is the great Denver,Texas and Fort Worth Railway, connect- 
ing Denver with Galveston and New Orleans, while within the State, 
are the great local systems of the Denver and Rio Grande and the Colo- 
rado Midland railway, both giving an outlet to the Pacific, the Rio 
Grande with its numerous branches reaching all the great industrial 
centers of Colorado. In addition to the lines constructed in the State, 
four great railway systems run their cars to Denver over the tracks of 
other railways from Missouri river points, and over one hundred pas- 
senger trains arrive at and depart daily from the Union depot at 
Denver. Eastward the Union Pacific runs two lines, viz: the Jules- 
burg Short Line, to Omaha, and the Kansas Pacific, to Kansas City. 
The other lines of the Union Pacific Railway in Colorado, are the 
Denver Pacific, i'ia Brighton, Evans and Greeley, to Cheyenne; the 
Colorado Central, narrow guage, extending into the gold and silver 
mining regions of Gilpin and Clear Creek counties, and the broaa 
gauge branch of the Colorado Central, reaching the prosperous agri- 
cultural sections of Golden, Boulder, Longmont, Loveland and Fort 
•Collins; the Denver, Marshall and Boulder branch; the Denver and 



60 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Leadville extension to Leadville, reaching Breckenridge and other 
camps in Summit county; the Denver and South Park branch, through 
South Platte Canon, over Kenosha mountains, across the South 
Park and over Alpine pass, through the great tunnel and down to Pit- 
kin, Gunnison and the coal fields at Baldwin; and the Denver and Mor- 
rison branch to Morrison. 

The Burlington and Missouri railway passes from Denver through 
the agricultural and stock raising lands of north-eastern Colorado, and 
thence into Nebraska and Kansas, where it connects with the Eastern 
trunk lines, dividing traffic with the Union Pacific and other East and 
West trunk terminating lines in Colorado. It has one branch in the 
State, the Denver, Utah and Pacific from Denver to Lyons, a distance 
of forty-five miles, where are located the extensive stone quarries pro- 
ducing fine flagging and paving stone. The 400 miles of this system 
includes the newly constructed road to Cheyenne, through the rain- 
belt counties of Sedgwick, Phillips and Weld. The Burlington and 
Missouri was the pioneer line in the development of eastern Colorado 
as an agricultural country. In general business it has always received 
recognition as a benefactor in the development of the State. From 
the first its thorough equipment and its uniform spirit of accommoda- 
tion to the public established its popularity with the people of Colo- 
rado and the traveling public. 

The Denver and Rio Grande railway is in every particular a State 
enterprise, and to it Colorado is indebted for a great part of its pros- 
perity. It has been the aim of this railway to reach all the mining 
districts and other centers of industry within the field of its opera- 
tions. From its main line north and south it has deflected to the 
west and south-west with its numerous branches until it has extended 
itself like a fan over these portions of the State. The northern 
extremity of the Rio Grande is Denver, and the southern, Santa F^, 
New Mexico. Westward it extends via Salt Lake to Ogden, where it 
connects with the great railway lines of the Pacific Slope. By its 
various extensions its main stem is connected with Leadville, Glen- 
wood Springs and Aspen, Gunnison, Grand Junction, Ouray, Alamosa, 
Durango and Silverton, West CliflF, Columbus, Saguache, Irwin, Cres- 
ted Butte, Wagon Wheel Gap, Moffat in the San Luis Valley, and the 
rich silver mining camp of Creede. 

The Rio Grande Southern is an important line of communication 
between Ridgeway, in Ouray County, and Durango,, in La Plata 
County. It opens up the country in the extreme south-eastern part of 
the State, and fills the gap in the line of traffic communication on 
the line of the Denver & Rio Grande between Ouray and Silverton. 
In its passage through the south-western part of the State, it opens a 
country of immense mining wealth, much of which has hitherto been 
undeveloped in the San Juan country. 

The Colorado Midland is a Colorado enterprise, and a splendid 
broad-guage route from Denver, via Colorado Springs to Leadville, 
over the Continental Range to Glenwood Springs, and thence down 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. gX 

the Grand River valley to Grand Junction, whence it is heading for 
the remote west over the Rio Grande Western to Salt Lake and 
Ogden. Recently it has come under the control, and is a part of the 
Atchison, Topeka and Santa F^ system, and forms an important link 
in the transcontinental connections of that great railway. The 
original design in the construction of the Colorado Midland, was an 
ultimate outlet to the Pacific coast. To consummate this result, more 
than 1 10,000,000 have been expended in construction and equipment, 
and work is now in progress on the Loch-Ivanhoe tunnel, through 
the Saguache range, which will cost another |i, 000,000, and the tun- 
nel will be 9,350 feet, the third in length in the United States. The 
Colorado Midland gives the advantages of development to many rich 
sections in the State, and is one of the favorite routes for tourist 
travel amid the grandeurs of mountain scenery. 

The Rock Island railway enters the Eastern side of the State, 
passes through the fertile counties of Kit Carson, Lincoln, Elbert and 
El Paso, and terminates at Colorado Springs. Its trains operate to 
Denver over the Denver and Rio Grande railway from that point, and 
also thence to Pueblo. This road opens large areas to agricultural 
settlement and contributes largely to the prosperity of Colorado. 

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 railway enters Colorado in 
the south-eastern part of the State, passing through the rich agricul- 
tural counties of Prowers, Bent, Otero and Pueblo, contributing 
greatly to the development of the fertile valley of the Arkansas, and 
operates its own lines to Denver from Pueblo. It diverges at La 
Junta and connects with the Atlantic and Pacific at Albuquerque, 
New Mexico. The Atlantic and Pacific, together with the California 
Southern, are now owned by this corporation. The extension of this 
system gives Colorado direct communication with California points 
and also with Fort Worth, Texas. The road is now an important link 
of communication between Colorado and the markets of the East 
and West. 

The Missouri Pacific from St. Louis and Kansas City terminates at 
Pueblo, its trains running to Denver via the Denver and Rio Grande 
railway. The system of which this road is part operates 6,200 miles 
of trackage and networks a portion of Missouri and extends into 
Tennessee and other Southern points. By this road Colorado taps the 
Southern trade at Memphis and St. Louis. Since its construction 
through Colorado, the portion of the State through which it passes 
has become populated and numerous large irrigating ditches parallel 
tfie line part of the way. The road passes through Kiowa, Otero and 
Pueblo counties, in the Arkansas valley, opening up large sections 
of country to agricultural settlement. 

The railroad from Manitou to the summit of Pike's Peak, con- 
structed in 1890, is an unique achievement that surpasses the cog-way 
up Mount Washington and the incline railway up the Rhigi in Swit- 
zerland. It is eight and three-fourth miles in length, cost 1300,000, 
was built for tourist travel, and is the sensational novelty of this cen- 
tury in railroad construction. 



62 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

In addition to the established lines, the Chicago and Northwestern 
runs daily vestibuled trains between Chicago and Denver, reaching 
this city over the track of the Union Pacific. The Chicago and Alton 
runs its own sleeping cars between Chicago, Kansas City and Denver, 
using also the track of the Union Pacific. The Chicago, Milwaukee 
and St. Paul runs its own cars between Chicago and Denver, employ- 
ing as an entrance to this city the track of the Burlington. The 
Wabash railroad runs through sleeping cars into Denver, reaching 
this city over the Rock Island and Union Pacific. 

New Roads and Exten.sions. 

Vast wealth of material resource lying in the western portion of 
Pitkin and Gunnison counties, becomes tributary to Western Slope 
markets, by the construction of the Crystal River railway from Car- 
bondale, in Garfield county, up the valley of Crystal river, to the 
town of Crystal in Gunnison county. This road taps the great coal 
field at Carbondale, in Garfield, the rich silver mines and a great 
basin of coking coal in Pitkin county, and the silver mines and great 
marble quarries of Gunnison county. The coal field in Pitkin, forms 
a great basin possessing a quantity of coal immeasurable and inesti- 
mable. Near by in Gunnison county, are vast bodies of the finest 
marbles of all varieties and colors. The development of these 
resources by this railway, will add millions of wealth to the State. 

The Colorado Eastern Railway is but a few miles in length, reach- 
ing coal mines near Denver and will doubtless be sooner or later 
used for entrance into the city by some of the projected lines from 
the north-east that will certainly be constructed in the near future. 

The Denver, Lakewood and Golden road has recently been built, 
connecting Denver with Golden. The track is built of steel, weigh- 
ing seventy-five pounds to the yard, and while its ultimate destination 
is not known to the public, the expensive character of its construc- 
tion leads to the conclusion that its promoters have in mind a line of 
great importance to the city and State. 

The Denver, Apex and Western line is intended to shorten the line 
of transportation between Denver and the Pacific Coast, and active 
work will probably be going forward before the end of 1S93, the great 
Atlantic & Pacific tunnel being contemplated as its probable outlet 
through the range. 

The Denver and El Paso Independent Railroad is a proposed line 
that gives promise of early construction. It will give Denver direct 
communication, not only with the rich mining districts of New Mex- 
ico, but will reach the fairest and best agricultural section of that 
great Territory, and at the same time shorten the distance to all Gulf 
ports. 

Quickly following the discovery of the mines at Creede, the Den- 
ver and Rio Grande built an extension into that rich and famous gold 
and silver mining camp, and is building an extension into the rich 
and newly discovered mining district of Cripple Creek. 

Still other railways are under contemplation, and there is hardly 
an accessible portion of the State that has not been surveyed to deter- 
mine the feasibility of construction. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 03 



Trips for the Tourist. 

THB Splendid railway facilities of Colorado, afford the tourist a 
delightful journey through the Rocky Mountains. With rapid 
transit along the beautiful agricultural valleys or plunging 
wildly through the canons and over the dizzy summits, the tourist of 
to-day may sit at the window of his luxurious palace car, entranced 
with the grand panorama of mountain peaks rolling by as if upon 
a scroll, with here and there a charming vista of glens, parks and 
valleys, with their sparkling waters, their verdure and their flowers, 
an ever-changeful vision of all that is grotesque and beautiful in this 
rugged configuration in the face of nature. The traveler may make 
a continuous journey of the State, or, if preferred, he may make 
daily trips from any given point. By the Union Pacific a circuit of 
the splendid agricultural region of Northern Colorado is the trip of a 
day. By the lines of the same system another day will take the 
visitor through the grandeurs of Clear Creek Canon to Georgetown, 
and over the famous Loop to the foot of Gray's Peak, with its crest 
of eternal snow, and by the Denver and South Park, through the won- 
derful Platte Canon, and over the snowy range to the famous city of 
Leadville. From Denver southward, with a choice of numerous 
lines of railway, a splendid panorama of the mountain range is 
revealed in every mile till Pueblo is reached and thence southward to 
the New Mexico line, is a continuous vision of scenic grandeurs. In 
the passage between Denver and Pueblo, the world-famous Pike's 
Peak comes into view. At its base is the splendid city of Colorado 
Springs, and still nearer its feet nestles the delightful Manitou 
Springs, the "Saratoga of the West," surrounded by its many attrac- 
tions, including the "Garden of the Gods." Here, too, is Cheyenne 
Mountain, with its wonderful cascades and canons. 

Starting from Denver, the Denver and Rio Grande ramifies the 
Rocky Mountains throughout the State. Westward the main line 
plunges through the Royal Gorge of the Canon -of the Arkansas, 
whose rugged walls of solid rock rise to a perpendicular height of 
2,600 feet above the track. Thence onward to Leadville, the course 
ascends the grand ampitheater of the nation — the Snowy Range with 
its masses of mountain spires whose whitened summits rise to the 
clouds. Thence onward still, it passes over the snowy crest in the 
midst of these towering giants of the Rockies, and downward under 
their gloomy shadow, through abysmal chasms, into the beautiful 
valleys of the Eagle, the Grand and the Blue. The great Salt Lake 
route is an everchanging picture of stupendous mountains and beauti- 
ful valleys, with their rippling streams, their verdant fields, and the 
towns and villages of prosperous people. Equal in interest are the 



64 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

scenes along the route of the Silvertou branch, where the Mountain 
Twins — the Spanish Peaks — and Veta Pass become objects of admi- 
ration and wonder. Sierra Blanca, 14,464 feet, and the great San 
Luis Park, 100 by 60 miles, unite in forming the most enchanting view 
of mountain and plain. Thence onward atjd westward. Phantom 
Curve, Toltec Gorge, Garfield Memorial, The Needles, Elk Park, Gar- 
field Peak, Sultan Mountain and the many awe-inspiring and, rug}j:ed 
heights and chasms of Animas Canon gives a journey of ever chang- 
ing but increasing interest. On the Del Norte branch is Wagon 
Wheel Gap; and the Ouray branch is famous for its many points of 
interest. The extension of this line scales to the summit of the mother 
range, giving a most thrilling view of gorgeous scenery, connecting 
all the lines and completing the most wonderful scenic tour of the 
world. 

The Colorado Midland, in its westward course, reveals the greatest 
wonders of the Continental range, passing through Cheyenne Canon, 
with its beautiful cascades, bringing to view the charming rainbow 
falls, winding about" the mountain summits for miles, in the shadow 
of the great Pike's Peak, passing through the great mining city of 
Leadville, scaling the summit of the Continental range beyond; 
gliding down through the great canons and valleys to Glenwood 
Springs, and thence on westward through the delightful valley of the 
Grand to its outlet from the State. 

Along all these lines are places of fascinating interest, and there 
are numerous health and pleasure resorts, which become the places 
of rest and recuperation for the tourist and the invalid traveler. 



The Dairy. 

OF late years, the dairy in Colorado has evolved from a very small 
business enterprise, to an establishment of large commercial 
importance, giving promise of a great future. Its present im- 
proved condition is the result, mainly, of breeding thorough-bred 
and graded cattle, and is in part due to the improved methods of 
feeding and taking care of stock on the farm. Thus, the thorough- 
bred and graded oattle interests, and the dairy business, have become 
inseparable, and, as the tendency in all parts of the State is toward 
the reproduction of improved stock, the dairy must necessarily grow 
till it becomes the main source of supply to the people of the State 
in all dairy products. It is estimated that of all the butter consumed 
in the State, not more than one-sixth of the amount is made at 
home. With her wide range of facility and resource, Colorado could 
not only make all her own butter and cheese, but have a ready mar- 
ket in adjoining States for a large surplus. Among the many 
advantages are such as, immense areas, good pasturage, pure water, 
& genial climate, and a soil productive of all the grains, grasses and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 65 

valley lands along the water courses, where the grasses are richest 
and most abundant. Neveftheless, the established dairies of the 
State are conducted the more with a view to the methods of feeding 
and caring for the stock, than to the location, with reference to 
immediate surroundings. Therefore, it is practicable to establish the 
dairy in any agricultural portion of the State where good water can 
be obtained. Splendid pasture lands can be obtained in all the irri- 
gated portions of the plains, in the mountain parks and valleys, and 
in all the broad valleys of Southern Colorado and the Western Slope. 
The favorite breeds of dairy cows now in use, and multiplying in 
Colorado, are the Jerseys, Holstein-Freisens, Swiss, Polled Angus, 
the Galloway and Durham. With proper care, their averages of 
production run very high. The large, well-regulated dairies are con- 
ducted upon the most advanced, scientific principles, and the pro- 
ducts of the creameries are of superior quality, commanding uni- 
formly high prices. There are a number of cheese factories in the 
State, and their product is equal in quality to the best family cheese 
from Eastern markets. The average price, for what is termed ranch 
butter, is 30 cents per pound, retail. The best creamery butter retails 
at 40 cents, and some fancy brands at 50 cents per pound, in the 
nearest home markets. 



Alfalfa. 



THE greatest of forage plants for Colorado is alfalfa, and the 
State's great strides in farming and stock-raising are due to 
this plant, in large measure. It is not a native plant, nor is it 
something new. Virgil, and others of the ancient writers, speak of 
it. In fact, it was known to the Greeks and the Romans over 2,000 
years ago, and it was used for forage long before the Christian era. 
Authorities state that it was brought from Media by the Romans 470 
B. C. It was introduced in Mexico at the time of the Conquest; 
thence into South America, and from Chili into California in 1S54, 
where it has been grown successfully. Early in the 'sixties it was 
brought to Colorado, and was raised for the first time in the State in 
the Platte valley, near Denver. 

It flourishes at all altitudes below 7,000 feet, and in all soils that 
will produce other crops. Sandy and clay loams are best adapted to 
its habits. Soils underlaid with shale, or hard-pan, are not conducive 
to its successful growth, inasmuch as the roots of the plants must 
penetrate the sub-soil until they find moisture. It is the most tena- 
cious of all forage plants, enduring more harsh treatment, more dry 
weather, heat and cold, after making a stand, than any of the others. 
It defies the hottest suns, the dry soils and the great variations of tem- 
perature — in fact it keeps fresh and green, while all other plants dry 
tip around it. Its growth is exceedingly rapid. In some soils, and 



66 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

under certain conditions, it makes a growth of 30 to 45 inches a 

TeTn 'riiTT !r"^^"' ^ ^""^"^ '^^'^ "^-^^ -'^^ ---: 

season. The first cutting is ready about the month of June just 
before blooming, and is considered the best for working teams n^ 
much as It contains more fattening elements. The second c;ons 
cut jn July, and the third in September. Horses grow fat on it Jon e 
cattle make fat, flesh and milk; sheep thrive and arrperfectly 
healthy when fed upon it, and hogs, when pastur;d upon it, need no 

^th^alf^lf \ "^ '''""'■ ''"'■ '^^ i"f— tion of those unfamiliar 
with alfalfa it is important to state that it is a perennial plant one 
p anting being sufficient for the life-time of the Lmer, and that of 
his children who live after him. The amount of seed p;r acre'- -^es- 
sary to secure a good stand of hay is 20 to 25 pounds; for seedri^' to 
16 pounds are sufficient. For hay, the seed -on sandy soil should be 
sown alone; on cloddy, clayey soils, wheat, oats or barley in smaH 
quantities, may be sown with it for shade. 

As to the digestibility and worth of alfalfa as food for stock the 
State Agricultural College of Colorado has made thorough expr^ 
ments and in the official bulletin elucidating these facts, ft is sUted 
^at the average animal will gain seven pounds weight fir every c« 

to the flook . v! ^"'*^^^*^°'^ ^^« become profitable as winter feed 
to the flocks and herds which, in late years, have become prevalent 
upon the farms, instead of being left to struggle through the rigor "' 
of win er upon the barren plains. In this connection ft will bfof 

reTvailaht '"'i'^'^''^ ""'' '^^" ^^^^ ^ about one-fifth of all 
theavailabe agricultural lands in the State, and now leads all the 
agricultural products in tonnage and value. 

Petroleum. 

pOLODADO produces all the oil required for home consumption, 

^ besides a large surplus for outside markets. Petroleum has 

been found in limited quantities from time to time in various 

parts of the State, but the only developed field is at ^lorence.Tn 

reX O-r '^' 'I T.^^''^' °' '^^ ^PP^^ ^^^^"«^«' - "--tain 
region Oil was first discovered here about eleven years ago Its 

product has steadily increased from the first, and for the past eight 
years has yielded a supply sufficient for the State, in later years fhe 
surplus reaching the markets of the adjoining. States. In the Flor- 
ence district the producing area is about three miles wide and ten 
miles long. The formation is shale, with no other rock interposed. 
This shale is known to be 3,500 feet thick, but how much thicker has 
not been determined. The deepest producer is 2,500 feet, but the oil 
strata has been tapped as shallow as i , 200 feet. One in every four wells 
IS a producer. The heaviest yield from any one well is 500 barrels a 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. <i7 

day, and from that they run down to five barrels. This annual pro- 
duction has reached approximately 700,000 barrels crude oil. There 
are two oil refineries at Florence and one at Overton, near Pueblo, 
the oil being piped from Florence, a distance of thirty miles, the hne 
having a capacity of 5,000 barrels per day. There have been several 
excitements over the discovery of oil near Denver the past year. A 
well was sunk at a point twelve miles distant to a depth of 2,800 feet, 
which encountered natural gas as well as petroleum, and the owners 
felt satisfied that they were near a large reservoir, when the pipe broke 
and the well was flooded with water. Drilling in a new hole is at 
present in operation. Boring for oil is in progress in two other 
placpm Arapahoe county, and all indications are favorable. 



Poultry. 



EVERY advantage is offered in Colorado for successful poultry 
raising. Wherever it becomes a feature of the farm it is a 
profitable part of the industry and the results show the practi- 
cability of its universal adoption. Domestic fowls thrive best upon 
dry gravelly land, where seeds and insect life are plentiful. These 
are the essential conditions in Colorado. The statistics of commerce 
show conclusively that the chicken farm or "chicken ranch," as it is 
called in the west, would be a useful institution and one of great 
profit. The redeipts of poultry and eggs in the Denver markets dur- 
ing the year 1892, mostly for general consumption, is a commercial 
item of great suggestions: 

Eggs (by freight) cars "'^ 

Poult'"y " " • ,ft vw 

Eggs (by express) cases • f^]^^ 

Poultry " " dressed, pounds ■J,33/,/.>i 

Poultry •■ " live, coops 6,113 

The receipts aggregate a value of not less than $2,000,000. Three 
fourths of these products were shipped in from other States, and sim- 
ilar shipments proportionately to population, were received at other 
principal markets in the State. Thus may be seen the great amount 
of revenue that may be derived from the poultry business in Colorado. 



58 THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Hunting and Fishing. 



THE wild game of the Rocky Mountains is steadily disappearing 
before the rapid advance of settlement in the West. Still there 
is a great reserve left to the sportsman in Colorado. The great 
forests lying west of the Continental range, with their splendid parks 
and timbered valleys are, as ever the undisputed domain of elk, deer, 
bear and the smaller game; crystal streams in all parts of the State 
team with mountain trout, and the many lakes high up amid the 
peaks, while abounding in fish, are the haunts of the wild feathery 
tribe. For the larger game, the principal grounds of rendezvous for 
the angler and the huntsman are the North Park, Middle Park, and 
along the forests and streams of the Western Slope. The system of 
Government fish hatcheries which have been in operation during the 
past few years, has proved of great benefit. In many of the splendid 
mountain lakes, as well as all the principal streams, the stock is 
annually improved and greatly replenished from these establishments 
and the fish from these pure, cold waters are not only numerous, but 
of excellent quality. As of old numerous hunting parties continue 
their annual visits from Eastern States to Colorado, and now, that the 
Indians have gone and the white man is free to roam the forests 
untrameled with fear, these visits are attended with more pleasure 
and greater success than ever before. One of the greatest advanta- 
ges of the present is the improvement in the modes of travel. Rail- 
roads have taken the place of the trail and many of the favorite 
hunting grounds can be reached in a day's journey from Denver. 




RESOURCES OF COLORADO. (J9 



The City of Denver. 

IN the thirty-third year of its age, as the pioneer settlement of Colo- 
rado, the City of Denver, now the great metropolis of the West, 
contains a population of 150,000. Of this number it has within 
the past ten years gained 100,000 and now represents one-third the 
population of a wealthy State, comprising nearly 104,000 square miles. 
Within this immense area there are the resources and the room for 
the maintenance of 10,000,000 people. Occupying a central position 
in Colorado, which is itself the pivotal ground in the community of 
Western States, Denver becomes the great magnet and radial 
point for the commerce of the Western country. Situated on the 
banks of Platte river upon the beautiful and gently sloping plateau 
reaching from the foot-hills twelve miles distant, it has an open view 
of the plains and skies to the east, while to the west it sits in the 
shadow of the majestic snow-clad peaks of the Rocky Mountain 
range, with the most gorgeous and entrancing picture of nature's 
painting ever in view. 

Only the pen of inspiration can relate all that Denver is or describe 
its many points of attraction. For the future no one can set its 
bounds, and to tell what it is destined to be is only within the power 
of prophetic wisdom. It is the throbbing heart of the Rocky Moun- 
tain country. The largest and most progressive inland city remote 
from navigation in America; sitting, unique and beautiful, in the 
clovers best adapted to the production of milk and cream. The par- 
ticular portions of the State best suited to dairj' animals, are the 
midst of this vast area of more diversified resources than any country 
of the world, having now attained that position of precedence and 
prestige where she draws everything to her as the metropolis of a 
rich region, extending for 600 miles in all directions, with no equal, 
no rival, no possibility of rivalry within this radius of country. In 
this position she becomes the commercial and manufacturing center 
and the great distributing point for the products of industry and com- 
merce, to the community of States that form the Western "half" of 
the Nation. This community is fast multiplying its thousands into 
millions, and these millions, as if by the natural law of centripetal 
force, voluntarily pay tribute to Denver. 

Thus no city in the world has such brilliant and certain prospects. 

As it will ever be the business center, so also it will be the seat 
of art and learning for this great and peculiarly cosmopolitan civili- 
zation in the West. 

It is clearly apparent to experienced men of business from all 
parts of the world, to capitalists, to men familiar with real estate 
affairs, and to the men who wield the power in the management of 
the gfreat railway systems now making a conquest of th^West, that 



70 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

the destiny of Denver is extraordinary and inconceivably great. They 
can see in the many massive structures of architectural excellence 
and beauty the durable building of a magnificent city. They see in 
the broad measures and widespread development of rapid suburban 
growth the foundations now being laid for the habitations of a million 
people. From the smoking chimneys of manufacture that grow and 
thicken about the place, from the rush and hurry to and fro upon the 
great iron arteries of commerce; from the sounds and scenes of indus- 
try in the workshop and field; in the outporing of unstinted treasure 
from the mines; in the production of coal and iron and oil; in the 
great acquisition of agricultural land and the overflowing products 
the rich soils of Colorado; in all these, together with the develop- 
ment of materials without limit for the industrial arts, they see that 
that the great city of the future is now building; that its growth will 
be permanent and its prosperity perpetual. 

The most reliable evidences of the substantial growth of a city 
are: Thrift and progress in agriculture, the multiplication of manu- 
factories, the durable character of its building and the constant 
increase in the sales and values of real estste. Denver is amply 
blessed with these signs of prosperity. From the center of the city 
to every outside point there is a steady, rapid growth, both of the 
city itself, and of its business interests, with an equally steady appre- 
ciation of values. Manufactures in almost every line are constantly 
being added to the long list of establishments, the commerce of the 
city embraces the wares and commodities of the world, and people of 
all avocations here find a field of profitable endeavor. . 

The early history of Denver is of little moment here, and would 
be of no material 'interest to the reader, except as it would serve to 
illustrate the process of this grand unfolding from the crudities of 
pioneer days to the present magnificent order of civilization. The 
chief point of interest is the fact that the beginning of this history is 
of so recent date, coupled also with the fact that the beginning of 
Denver was the beginning of Colorado, now so great in wealth and 
important in its people. Twenty-two years ago Denver contained a 
population of only 4,759. It was then, from the date of its settle- 
ment, twelve years old. In that year the first railway came, and then 
the true development of Colorado began. 

The establishment of the site of Denver was an incident in the 
adventures of the first party of men who came to Colorado in search 
of gold in the year 1858. This was the forerunner of the great Pike's 
Peak gold hegira in 1S59. It is the primary point in the history of 
these times that the first gold was discovered in the bed of Cherry 
creek in 1858, by Green Russell and his party from Georgia, and that 
following the course of that stream to its confluence with the Platte 
river, they made an encampment there. This encampment became 
the nucleus of permanent settlement, the first in Colorado. During 
the year, other parties came, and within that year and the next, three 
diflFerent town sites were located, and the crudest kind of " stick and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 7| 

mud " log cabins formed the first habitations. These town sites hav- 
ing diflferent locations all within the present limits of Denver, bore 
the names respectfully of Montana City, St. Charles and Aurarra. 
For months there was a bitter rivalry between these log cabin and 
"wagon cover " camps, as to which should maintain priority as the 
town of this great western wilderness, then the possession of ths sav- 
age Indian. On the 29th of October, 1858, a wagon train laden with 
groceries and provisions, arrived from Iowa, and the owners built the 
fourth cabin in Auraria, which was the west side settlement. These 
parties, with the contents of their wagons opened a store, thus start- 
ing the first commercial enterprise in Colorado. 

The permanent organization of the town of Denver occurred No- 
vember 22, 185S. A party of men from Kansas, led by General 
William Larimer, arrived November i6th at Auraria, and crossing 
over Cherry Creek, November 22d, located the site and organized the 
Denver City Town Company. . These founders of the new town re- 
solved to make Denver the future great city of the mountains and the 
plains. They first built a number of log cabins, and that was the 
City of Denver in 1858, the first cabin being credited to General Lari- 
mer. Among these people, together with those of the rival towns, 
were men whose names became famous in Western history, for their 
exploits and intrepid daring among the Indians, for courage and 
endurance in suffering the privations of pioneer life, for opening to 
the world the mines of gold and silver in Colorado, and for the mar- 
velous results of their enterprise and intelligence, both as the foun- 
ders and promoters of this marvelous Western development. A 
number of these men are still living in Denver, some of them 
wealthy, and all of them honored citizens. 

It has been said that the establishment of Denver was an incident 
to Western adventure in quest of gold. Time has proved that the 
incident was unavoidable. The first men who came to Denver were 
irresistibly attracted by that not usual but inexplicable force in the 
eternal fitness of things, to this particular spot. In this great coun- 
try, so rich in mineral, in agricultural possibilities, and all the oppor- 
tunities for human enterprise, the invisible hand of providence that 
leads the way of destiny has pointed from all time to this identical 
spot as the great focul point for the aggregation of industrial enter- 
prise and genius in promoting Western settlement. 

As singularly prophetic of so great a culmination of events, it is a 
well known fact in the history of border life, that for many years 
before the white man come for settlement the untenanted ground 
where Denver now stands was the rallying point and rendezvous of 
many tribes of Indians; it was the objective point and camping ground 
of the traders and trappers, and the paths of the buffalo led from all 
directions on the plains to the juncture of Cherry Creek with Platte 
River, near the site of the splendid City of Denver. 



72 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Population and Industrial Growth. 

It has been shown that Denver attained to only 4,759 in her first 
twelve years. In 18S0 the census was 35,629; in 1S85, ley Sate census, 
54,000; in 1890 the National census gave the city credit for a popula- 
tion of 106,760. This did not include the suburban towns, which 
would add 20,000 to the above number. The suburban towns are thir- 
teen in number, and with only two exceptions they are in reality, 
though not in name, a part of the city, They are not remote points, 
but the city, suburbs and all are built connectedly and into each other, 
and form one birds-eye view. Therefore the City of Denver rightfully 
includes the entire territory. The total census, with the suburbs 
added, make a population of 126,000. It is claimed that the census 
enumeration was many thousands short of actual numbers. Nearly 
three years have expired since the count was made, covering a period 
of large accessions, and it is fairly estimated that, according to the 
ratio of three years preceding, 25,000 people have been added to the 
population since the census enumeratiftn, making a total population 
of not less than 150,000. 

In explanation of a chart showing Denver's growth at a glance, 
the Denver Republican gives to Denver five distinct eras in its prog- 
ress, to date, as follows: "First, the discovery of gold, which period 
lasted until 1870, when stock-raising was in its prime, and when the 
railroads made their advent, becoming the great forerunners of the 
prosperity which has been enjoyed since 1880. Then the discovery of 
silver in large quantities is classified as the third era. Following 
closely on this was the immigration and agricultural epoch, which 
makes the population line reach still higher. Then comes the in- 
vestment and manufacturing era. This last era opened six years ago, 
and it has not yet seen its culmination. It has been a period of great 
progress, confidence and hopefulness. To a large extent, the history 
of Denver has been made in that time — 1886-1892. In that compara- 
tively short period, Denver more than doubled its population. In 
1886, the appraised value of Denver was 132,156,515; in 1S92 it 
was J573, 000,000. From 1886 to 1892, Denver sold $284,463,330 of real 
estate, and borrowed $165,032,096. In a word, Denver sold more real 
estate, borrowed more money, paid more debts, grew more in num- 
bers and in wealth, and advanced more in educational affairs in these 
six years than during the preceding twenty-eight years of its history. 

These five eras of Denver's history were successive steps in the 
acquisition of material advantages. These advantages do not belong 
to the past. They are moving in the present, with strides of increas- 
ing force and rapidity. The mining for gold and silver, the live 
stock industry, the cultivation of the farms, with its widespread of 
agricultural settlement; the railroads fretting the State with their net- 
work of lines, and the numerous manufactories, from whose chimneys 
the smoke forms a pillar of perpetual cloud, betokening industrial 
life; these, and many other elements of prosperity are growing, and 
still laying deeper foundations for the greater Denver of the future. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 73 

It might be of interest, it certainly will be a matter of information 
to people abroad, to enumerate more explicitly what the special 
advantages of material resource are upon which Denver relies for the 
future, and what are the great underlying, fertilizing forces that cause 
such rapid and enormous growth. In answer, a few leading facts are 
presented: 

The mines of Colorado, now in the primary stage of development, 
have reached an annual average yield of $30,000,000 in gold, silver, 
copper and lead. 

Four million acres of rich agricultural lands have been made avail- 
able for agriculture by irrigation. One and a half million acres are 
now under cultivation, yielding a surplus of wheat and a large pro- 
portion of the home supply in all other farm products. 

Iron and coal exist in immeasurable and inexhaustible quantities, 
in close proximity, and the extensive manufacture of all iron and 
steel products has made a large beginning and great enterprises of 
this character are under.projection. Denver, in addition, has conven- 
ient access to the material, possesses the facilities, has the natural 
location and has already become the market to a large territory for 
the manufacture of a great variety of wares and fabrics. 

Denver is the great smelting center of the West, treating a large 
per cent, of the ores of Colorado, and receiving large consignments 
from every mining State and Territory in the Rocky Mountain region. 

Denver is the greatest local and distributing fruit market between 
San Francisco and St. Louis, and Colorado is fast becoming the only 
rival of California in fruit production. 

The live-stock industry is a source of great wealth, Colorado is 
peculiarly adapted to sheep; fine grade wool has become a successful 
production, and Denver has established the only manufactory between 
Illinois and the Pacific, for the manufacture of fine knit underwear, 
comparing favorably with the standard make of the United States. 
This factory also makes blankets and underwear peculiarly suitable 
for mining and all other industries of the State. Herein is a great 
prospective industry that will become an absolute necessity in the 
near future. 

The Denver Paper Mills, a new industry, with an extensive plant, 
capable of supplying all the Rocky Mountain region with news and 
book paper, has been established during the past two years. It man- 
ufactures news print paper from the native mountain timbers and has 
aireadj' proven its present usefulness by supplying the greater num- 
ber of journals in the State with paper, besides having a large out- 
side demand. The increasing patronage from far and near already 
demands the enlargement of the plant. 

The Overland Cotton Mills is another new and successful institu- 
tion which has in the few months of its existence demonstrated that 
Denver is a most eligible point for the manufacture of cotton fabrics, 
the city having direct railway connection with the cotton fields of 
Texas. 



74 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

These are but a feW of the leading advantages of the indus- 
trial resource. An enumeration of all the material resources that 
contribute untold wealth and form the basis of occupation and sup- 
port of a large population in this greatly favored city would furnish 
the subject matter of a book. 

It is singular that in this practical and enlightened day we still 
venerate Daniel Webster as a model of human wisdom. But it was 
Daniel Webster who said that this area, so boundless in its riches, 
was a worthless sandy waste, and the mountain ranges "impregnable 
and covered to the very base with eternal snow." There are many 
men in Denver to-day that have greater foresight and much more 
knowledge of political economy than was ever possessed by Daniel 
Webster and his associates in the United States Senate of 1838. These 
desert wastes have become the fruitful fields and happy homes of 
thousands of people, and the "impregnable " mountains have yielded 
their millions of treasure since that memorable speech was uttered, 
relieving want and giving wealth to millions of the Nation's people. 
Denver, as the typical star of the Western empire, became the first 
light of this new revelation. The rest of the story is told in the rec- 
ord of her industrial development. 

Real Estate. 

Nothing better illustrates the prosperity of a city than the thrift 
of its real estate market. The rapid growth of values in real estate 
during the past six years, coupled with a decreasing rate of interest, 
proves that investment in Denver property is equal in security to 
Government bonds, and far better In its returns. The most conserva- 
tive capitalists have invested freely in Denver real estate, always 
with gain, in some instances making a fortune in a single transaction. 
The most brilliant feature of the real estate market of the past year, 
has been the freedom with which Eastern investors have loaned 
money on property, improved acreage and trackage. Nothing could 
better de<nonstrate the permanent character of Denver. 

The total sales of Denver city real estate, unplatted acreage and 
miscellaneous property in Arapahoe County for the past thirteen 
years, (1880 to 1892, inclusive), amounted to JS5334, 333, 901. The larg- 
est sales were made in 1890, the flush year of the Western country, 
when the figure reached 165,829,925. The sales of 1892 aggregated 
140,308,026. The sales of 1S80 aggregated 15,633,000, with little 
increase till i886-'87, when, in the latter year, they reached ^529, 176,- 
752. In 1888, 141,239,545. The record of the four succeeding years 
is of peculiar interest: 

1880 , $ 60,302,098 

1890 65.829,925 

1891 47,515,981 

1892 40,308,02t) 

To'al for four years $2U,0t(),033 

Deducting for acreage and miscellaneous County property 21,771,020 

Gives to Denver alone the credit of $190,272,013 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 75 

The decrease shown for the past two years is not in any sense dis- 
paraging, when it is considered that values had fallen off in common 
with the country, and that the larger investments were made in 
building and in manufacturing enterprises. When the facts are pre- 
sented, showing the ratio of increased values for a period of ten 
years, and when it is considered that within the past six years $165,- 
032,096 has been borrowed on Denver real estate, this apparent 
decrease does not afifect the real value of Denver property. In this 
connection, a summary of the releases and foreclosures from 1880 to 
1892 is of special interest: 

Number of releases 55,870 

Number of foreclosures 2,303 

Number of trust deeds 79,.557 

Amounts of trustxieeds ..••... $193,114,085 

The loans on property in Arapahoe county for the three years past 
have been: 1890, $41,694,587; 1891, I35,4i5.5i7; 1892, $25,794,252. 
With a steady decrease in the rates of interest from year to year, the 
range in 1892 was from 5 to 12 per cent, the largest amount being 
loaned at 8 per cent., and the average rate of interest paid for all loans 
on real estate for the year 1S92, was 7.223 per cent. This in itself 
shows the faith of the capitalist in the permanent prosperity of 
Denver. It is impossible in this work to convey an adequate idea of 
the rise in values throughout a period of successive years. The sub- 
ject could not be fairly comprehended by the reader without an 
understanding of the peculiar and rapid growth of the city and the 
changes incident thereto as, for instance, the magnificent rebuilding 
of the business center and the consequent wide-spread growth of the 
residence portion, all within the last decad^ A few examples of the 
values of pairs of inside lots during three important periods may 
serve the purpose in some degree. 



1872. 



1889. 



1892. 



Pair lots, ."50x125, value 



3,000 


$ 25,000 


8 30,000 


12,000 


65.000 


75,000 


8,000 


75,000 


90,000 


1.000 


16,000 


.SO, 000 


3,600 


80.000 


85,000 


600 


14,000 


32.000 


1,800 


30,000 


40,000 


2,000 


60.000 


75,000 


1,600 


90,000 


95,000 


800 


35,000 


45,000 



These figures show the average increase in thousands of transfers, 
both of inside and outside or suburban properties. 

In 1864, forty acres were pre-empted in what is now the heart of 
Capitol Hill, a residence portion, cost $50. In '72 sold at I75 per lot; 
present value of ground, uuimprf)ved, |i, 500, 000, and value increas- 
ing. In 187 1, in a tract still outside, 700 lots were purchased f<jr 
$9,100, present value $385,000. In 1886, in outside district, 160 acres 
for $32,000; present value, $500,000. And thus on tlirough the history 



fjQ THE INDUSTRIES AND 

of platting acreage property on the outskirts as Denver has rapidly 
advanced from center to circumference through this brief j)eriod of 
years. 

Buildings. 

Within the past two years the business center of the city has been 
ornamented by the completion of numerous handsome towering 
blocks of granite, brick and stone, graceful in architectural lines, and 
massive in construction. No Western city can compare with these 
buildings. They would be creditable to New York or Chicago, and 
have the superior merit of stopping at eight and nine stories. A 
view of these splendid blocks throughout the center of the city, and 
the miles of handsome residences surrounding, is a startling revela- 
tion to the visitor after a journey through great waste of territory 
west of the Missouri river. In these are combined wealth, business 
prosperity, advanced ideas, artistic taste and confidence in the perma- 
nency and future growth of the city. Among the greater buildings 
of recent completion are magnificent structures where the founda- 
tions are laid for centuries to come, with superstructures embracing 
every detail of modern art for durability and charming ornament. In 
such artistic effect is employed iron and nickel and silver, the fine 
clays, granite stone, marble and onyx. Only a few of these build- 
ings can be here mentioned, together with the approximate cost of 
their construction, as follows: 

The Equitable building, nine stories, granite, pressed brick and 
terra cotta trimmings, |r, 500,000. The Brown Palace Hotel, nine 
stories, entirely of Arizona red sandstone, the rotunda finished in 
Mexican onyx, absolutely fire-proof, |r, 400,000. Mining Exchange 
building, one of the moit beautiful and substantial in the city, its 
chief characteristics being its solidity, and uniqueness of design, of 
granite foundation, red sandstone and brick, seven stories, $300,000. 
The new Cooper building, eight stories, a structural gem of the city, 
$225,000. Masonic building, six stories, granite and red sandstone, 
hard wood finish, carved exterior, ^250,000. Kittredge building, seven 
stories, granite and white lava stone, |4oo,ooo. The Peoples National 
Bank, one of the most attractive business buildings in the city, nine 
stories, granite and red pressed brick, 1265,000. The Court-house is 
a model of some of the fineSt State capitals in the Nation.. Ernest 
& Cranmer building, eight stories, red sandstone and pressed brick, 
$400,000. The California Building, six stories, $150,000. Boston block, 
an ornate and majestic structure, nine stories, $300,000. School build- 
ings, ranging from $25,000 to $225,000. Church buildings from $25 
to $2So,ooo. The new Capitol building, nearly completed, at a 
cost of $2,500,000, of gray granite. The new Government building in 
the heart of the city. Value of 50 buildings— including some churches, 
$26,954,000. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 77 

BUILDINGS FOR WHICH PERMITS W^RE ISSUED IN 1892. 



817 



Residences jq^ 

Business 

Schools and Churches 

Repairs and enlarging 

Frame buildings .... 



12 

8»5 
4 



$ 3,127,676 

1,205,194 

337,920 

480,080 

2,088 



$ 5,151,958 



The following table shows the total record of building permits 
issued from iS8o to 1892 inclusive : 



Value. 

$ 3,517,360 

3,225,480 

2,838,480 

1,578,980 

1,900,420 

709 9x0 

■ ; 2,000 661 

4,0^7 050 

6,049 386 

1889 '. . 10,807,377 



Year, 

1880 . 

1881 . 

1882 . 

1883 . 

1884 . 

1885 . 

1886 . 

1887 . 
1888 



Value. 
12,835,394 
5,704,377 
5,052,958 



Total $ 60,127,903 

Public buildings and sub- 
urban towns 7,828,170 



Year. 

1890 . , 

1891 . . 

1892 . 



Grand total $67,956,073 



The past two years was the period of finishing the larger and more 
costly buildings for which permits were issued in previous years, while 
the greater amount for the current two years was for residences to 
accommodate increasing population, a number of these homes costing 
$40,000, while Denver contains dwellings costing $150,000. Denver is 
a city of beautiful homes, and this is the most charming attraction to 
the visitor, being a perpetual delight to the people of Denver, who 
may see them every day. In Denver the big buildings are centrally 
located, while there is mile after mile of separate dwellings, of the 
prettiest and most ornate styles of architecture. They stand apart, 
with beautiful yards adorned with green grass, shrubbery and flowers, 
• and many a home is of itself a charming little paradise. They are 
built with great architectural exactness and taste, and with conspicu- 
ous versatility, the materials predominating, red sandstone and 
pressed brick, with the handsomest trimmings in variegated stone and 
marble. 

Assessed Valuation. 

The city is limited by law to a tax rate of 10 mills on the dollar, 
which is levied on a third valuation of its property. So far 10 mills 
has been the rate levied. The assessed valuation for Denver in 1892, 
was 173,563,710. For 1893, the assessor's estimates of valuation for 
Denver, is $75,000,000, including suburban corporations to be included 
in city limits, $90,000,000. Thus the estimated real valuation of the 
city, is $270,000,000. The table of assessed valuations for a period of 
twelve years, shows a marvelous increase, especially during the past 
five years. The valuation in 18S0 was $16,294,092, against $73,563,710, 
(not including suburbs) for 1S92. 



78 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The Banks of Denver. 

There are eleven National banks, three savings banks and numer- 
ous private banking firms in Denver. The National banks are old, 
well established institutions. They are noted far and near for their 
stability. The panics which have agitated the financial world in the 
past, have had little effect upon them. They are under the manage- 
ment of some of the best known financiers in the West, and have 
large resources behind them. Their paid up capital stock amounts in 
all to $5,500,000. The resources of the eleven National banks at the 
close of 1892, was $29,217,536.44, against $25,660,461.98 in 1891. 

Combined capital and surplus $ 7,410,000 00 

Deposits 20,585,766 00 

Loans 17,769,700 00 

Resources 29,217,506 00 

Clearings for 1892 265,985,177 79 

Increase over 1891 37,630,177 57 

Clearings in 1887 117,-589,505 00 

Capital in 1887 2,357,250 00 

The following table is a comparative statement for the past eight 
years: 



YEAR. 


LOANS. 


CAPITAL. 


DEPOSITS. 


1884 


$ 4,608,689 00 
5,763.489 00 
7,399,334 00 
9,-5.54,557 00 
11,060,874 00 
12,143,751 00 
15,685,659 00 
15,414.542 00 
17.769,710 80 


$ 2,070,076 00 
2,139,649 00 
• 2,296,575 00 
2,357,250 00 
2,735,966 00 
3,537,805 00 
6,474,765 00 
6,395,000 00 
7,410,000 GO 


$ 7,220,470 00 


1885 

1886 


9,089,324 00 
10.889,71.5 00 


1887 

1888 

1889 


12,-542,693 00 
14,307.196 00 
18,408,078 00 
17,150,534 00 
17,818,208 00 
20,585,766 .59 


1890 

1891 • • 


1892 



Rates of interest for short loans is from 12 to 8 per cent., accord-, 
ing to the collateral and amount. Real estate loans, long time, 
7 and 8, sometimes 6 per cent. 

Commercial. 

The wholesale trade of Denver includes home manufactures, as 
well as the great volume of merchandise drawn from the markets of 
the world and her patronage for all goods and wares, whether of home 
or foreign product, comes from all the States and Territories between 
the Missouri River and the Pacific Ocean. The wholsesale trade of 
Denver was as follows for the past two years: 

1891 $ 43,510,-500 

1892 47,647,020 

Increase, 1892 $ 4,136,520 

Freight receipts, car loads, all commodities, merchandise and raw 
material, including ore for the smelters: 

1891, No. of cars 172,429 

1892 176,058 

Increase 3,629 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 79 

Live Stock Center. 
As a cattle market aucl a general live-stock distributing point, 
Denver is taking high rank. Its packing-house business has become 
important to all the West, and shows a gratifying annual increase, 
together with all branches of the live-stock industry. The business 
of 1892 is summarized as follows: 

RECEIPTS. 

Cattle lil.fili 

Hogs "^i'^i'i 

She«p ■■ lX5,tW:l 

Horses and mules Il,;t50 

SHIPMENTS. 

Cattle i:«2.^*5 

Hogs •i.'50l 

Shiep 91.222 

Horses and mules 11,139 

DRIVE OUTS (for PACKERS AND CITY USE.) 

Cattle 53,129 

Hogs 79,481 

Sheep 62,587 

The packing establishments of Denver are equipped for unlimited 

amount of business, anticipating the future wants of the West. 

Coal and Iron. 
In these two elements of material resovce in the State there is a 
great reserve of wealth for Denver. The production and trade in 
coal, as it is now carried on can only be regarded as incidental to the 
necessities of a growing population. But the supply of coal and iron, 
as well as all other accompanying materials requisite for manufacture, 
lie close together throughout the State. Denver has already been 
designated as the future central manufacturing point, and the first 
establishment for the manufacture of iron and steel in the city is now 
under construction. 

Public Improvements. 
Nearly $1,000,000 were spent for public improvements during the 
past year. One hundred and sixty-six thousand square yards of per- 
manent street paving were laid. The business center was laid with 
level, smooth, durable asphalt and sandstone block paving at a cost 
of 1549,414; of this amount the property owners paying |343)339t 
showing public spirit and enterprise. The sanitation of the city was 
improved by the completion in 1892 of 7 1-5 miles of sanitary sew- 
ers and 8.50 miles of public storm sewers at a total cost of $449,603. 
Within the past two years large extensions of sidewalks of stone 
flagging have been made. Within the past three years there has been 
a most commendable movement toward the establishment of a sys- 
tem of public parks and boulevards around the city. Ten years ago 
there was but one public park, which did not become available as a 
place of resort till three years ago. Now there are five public parks 
and numerous delightful gardens and lakes, equipped with good thea- 
ters and all the arrangements for the pleasure and recreation of the 
people, situated within the surroundings of the city and easily acces- 
sible by the numerous lines of electric and cable railjvays. 



80 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

As a Convention City. 

That Denver is one of the best equipped convention cities in the 
United States, was proved during the Conclave of the Knights Tem- 
plar in 1S92, when 100,000 visitors were well cared for and entertained. 
The estimate of 150,000 for Denver's present population is not extrav- 
agant. It is not too great an estimate to say that the city can enter- 
tain an equal number of visitors. In addition to its thirteen leading 
hotels, Denver has about sixty second-class, private and family hotels, 
and upward of one hundred boarding houses, and double that number 
of lodging houses, the majority of them being near by the restaur- 
ants. With the latter, Denver is provided in an extravagant degree. 
In addition, the homes of Denver are capacious and its citizens hos- 
pitable. The city now has the record of having entertained the 
largest crowd that ever gathered upon a single occasion in America. 

Street Railways. 

No city on the globe is provided with so ample and so efficient 
street railway service as Denver. The city is gridironed with car 
tracks that lead to the remotest suburbs, and there is no part of the 
city that is not convenient to some car line, and every line is one of 
rapid transit, with the exception of one short horse car connection. 
With this exception, the old system has been entirely supplanted by 
electric and cable cars for the city proper and steam motors for the 
outlying districts. The length of the trackage of the several com- 
panies is 173 miles, and of this total the electric lines cover no miles. 
The trackage is divided between the several companies as follows : Den- 
ver Tramway company — electric, 84 miles; cable, 13 miles. Denver 
City Cable company — cable, 30 miles; electric, 10^ miles; horse car, 5 
miles. Colfax electric, io>4 miles; Denver, Lakewood & Golden — 
electric, 5 miles; steam motor, 15 miles. These systems of rapid 
transit are a consummation of the past three years and have contrib- 
uted largely to Denver's growth and development. Other lines are 
projected and will soon be constructed. 

The Churches. 

Denver has seventy-six church buildings under various denomina- 
tions, while there are more than one hundred places of worship, 
including churches, missions and places of religious meeting of vari- 
ous kinds. Of the larger denominations the Catholics have 9 church 
buildings, Presbyterians 9, Episcopalians 8, Methodists 10, Baptists 10, 
Congregationalists 9, Christians 4, Lutherans 5, and other denomina- 
tions and religious societies one each. Church communicants in 
Denver are estimated at 48,000. Of this number the Catholics have 
26,000. A number of the most beautiful and costly churches in 
America have been built in Denver within the past few years, and the 
church property is valued at 53.500,000. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 81 

Scliools of Denver. 

Denver is celebrated the world over for the excellence of its pub- 
lic schools. No country has a system having greater advantages of 
education, and all cities in America are surpassed by the magnificence, 
durable character and costliness of its school buildings. The State 
has a school enrollment of 76,000 pupils. Of this number Denver 
has 26,000 for 1S93, a gain of 3,090 over 1892. This number includes 
the various suburban districts, embracing 42 public schools. The 
Denver High School is the crowning glory of the educational iustitu- 
tions of the State. The property is valued at 1768,195.41. It con- 
tains sixteen class-rooms, with 700 seats, having nineteen teachers 
and an average daily attendance of 633 pupils. Some of the bright- 
est young minds of the West entering into business affairs, the 
Colleges, the professions, and into social and literary life, are the 
graduates of the past few years from the Denver High School. 

Under the Catholic Church there are eight large parochial schools; 
there are numerous denominational institutions of learning. There 
are private schools of various character, many of them being noted 
for their excellence, and the average attendance is estimated at 3.000, 

For the higher education the University of Denver, under the 
Methotlists, is the largest institution of learning west of St. Louis, 
having ten departments and numerous costly buildings. Under the 
Episcopalians, Jarvis Hall for boys, and Wolfe Hall for girls, are 
splendid institutions. The Presbyterians have established Westmin- 
ster University, and the Catholics have established, besides the 
Loretta Academy, the Jesuit College, an institution of general educa- 
tien. 

Within the past few years two public libraries, the Mercantile and 
the High School library, have been established for the free use of all 
the people. The former was established in 1886 by members of the 
Chamber of Commerce. It is a general library amply supplied with 
histories, reference books and all the popular literature of the day. 
It is sustained jointly by the city and the Chamber of Commerce. It 
now contains 24,000 volumes. Four thousand five hundred volumes 
were added in 1891 and 6,000 in 1892. The High School library is 
similar in its design, being maintained by School District No. i, and 
containing at present 15,000 volumes. 

CtLaritable Institutions. 
To the women of Denver, is due great praise for the excellent 
work done by them toward ameliorating the condition of their wage- 
earning as well as unfortunate sisters. Each year has seen the birth 
of some new organization with the purpose to relieve pressing wants 
and place woman on a higher plane, some of the associations look- 
ing after the welfare of unfortunate or deserving men as well as 
women. For these purposes there are associations, homes and hos- 
pitals, and large sums of money are annually expended and incalcu- 
lable good work performed. 



82 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Climate and Healtli. 

Colorado climate is acknowledged by the most celebrated clima- 
tologists in the world to be the most healthful to be found in America. 
Colorado air is dry and pure, full of ozoue and brilliant with sun- 
shine. It is between the extremes of summer and winter, and free 
from excesses of moisture, as all these conditions exist north and 
south. One of the most healthful places in the State is Denver. Its 
altitude of one mile is the medium ground so beneficial to consump- 
tives and asthmatics, and so invigorating to one in health and active 
in the affairs of life. Thousands of the afl9.icted who have been cured 
or greatly relieved, attest the beneficial results of a residence or 
sojourn in Denver. In another part of this publication will be found 
a condensed meteorological table, together with observations on Colo- 
rado weather. The following extract from a paper read by Dr. C. 
Theodore Williams, president, before the Royal Meteorological 
Society, London, on the " High Altitudes of Colorado," is applicable 
to Denver: 

The chief features of the climate of Colorado appear to be: " First, 
diminished barometric pressure, owing to altitude, which throughout 
the greater part of the State do not fall below 5,000 feet; second, 
great atmospheric dryness, especially in winter and autumn, as shown 
by the small rain-fall and low percentage of relative humidity; third, 
clearness of atmosphere and absence of fog or cloud ; fourth, abund- 
ant sunshine all the year around, but especially in winter and autumn; 
fifth, marked diathermancy of atmosphere, producing an increase in 
the difference of sun and shade temperature varying with the eleva- 
tion in the proportion of one degree for every rise of 235 feet ; sixth, 
considerable air movement, even in the middle of summer, which 
promotes evaportion and tempers the solar heat ; seventh, the pres- 
ence of a large amount of atmospheric electricity. Thus the climate 
of this State is dry and sunny, with bracing and energizing qualities, 
permitting out-door exercise all the year round, the favorable results 
of which may be seen in the large number of former consumptives 
whom it has rescued from the life of invalidism, and converted into 
healthy, active workers, and its stimulating and exhilarating influ- 
ence may also be traced in the wonderful enterprise and unceasing 
labor which the Colorado people have shown in developing the riches 
of their country." 

Though always noted for its general healthfulness and the benign 
influences of its climate, great effort has been made within the past 
two j'cars for the improvement of the sanitary conditions of the city. 
This work has been accomplished by the combined efforts of the offi- 
cials and the people at large, who have cheerfully assisted in stringent 
laws for the protection of the public health. Sanitary inspection, 
food inspection and the various public works in behalf of the beauty 
as well as the health of the city, have shown their beneficent eff"ect. 
No exhibit of the city's sanitary condition is so comprehensive as the 
statistics of mortality. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



83 



The twelve months ending November 30, 1S92, are credited with 
the lowest mortality record of any year of which there are accurate 
figures preserved. The comparative table for the last six years is 
herewith presented : 



YE.K 'roru.AX,oN. ,;^^. : ^-^- 


Typhoid 
Deaths. 


Diphtheria 

AND Croup 

Deaths. 


1886 73,000 

1887 80,000 

1883 85,000 

iSm 96,000 

1899 . . . 106,713 

1891 113,874 

1892 120,000 


1,119 
1.525 
1,729 
1,808 
2,530 
2,118 
1,736 


15.33 
19.06 
20.34 
18.83 
23.71 
18.. 51 
14.48 


99 

134 
188 
263 
99 
70 


139 

115 

267 

175 

90 



Ofificial reports of the past two months indicate decreasing per 
cent, of mortality. 

In this mortality record it must be remembered that Denver is an 
invalid resort, and a large per cent, of deaths is from diseases con- 
tracted in other countries. 

One of the supreme advantages of Denver is its ample water facil- 
ities. Two companies supply the city with mountain water, one of 
these companies conveying the water from the snow banks of the 
mountains direct. la addition there are hundreds of artesian wells in 
the city and its suburbs, so conveniently distributed as to be accessi- 
ble to all citizens for drinking and bathing. This water is almost 
chemically pure, and where containing mineral, it is highly conducive 
to health. 

The Newspapers. 

Denver contains nearly 100 newspapers and periodical publications 
of various kinds. These include six dailies, two morning and four 
afternoon journals. The morning papers are the Rocky 3Toutitain 
News and the Denver Republican; the afternoon papers, the Colorado 
Evening Sun, with Sunday morning edition, the Denver Times, the 
Denver Post and the Colorado Journal, (German.) The four papers 
first named, similar in size to the papers of the large cities of the 
country have a first-class and thorough equipment, under the man- 
agement of experienced newspaper men, having complete metropoli- 
tan organization, employing accomplished editorial writers, while as 
a rule men of perspicuity and trained professional alertness, enter- 
prise and intelligence peculiar to Western life form the corps of 
reporters and correspondents for all the Denver dailies. The adver- 
tising patronage is enormous, and through these papers it can be 
truly said is daily reflected the commercial vigor and the sprightly 
social life for which Denver is famous. 



34 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Commercial Organization. 

The influence and usefulness of the several organizations of busi- 
ness men in Denver are recognized in all parts of the land. The 
bodies are composed of the leading and most enterprising and intelli- 
gent business men of the city, also representing the greater share of 
its wealth. 

In the work of promoting, not only the welfare of the City of 
Denver, but that of the whole State of Colorado, the Chamber of 
Commerce and Board of Trade has always been a leading and poten- 
tial factor. This organization has a membership of 555, including in 
its list a large number of eminent men representing the professions 
as well as the industries. Thus all questions affecting the interests 
of the city at large, receive consideration at the hands of an aggrega- 
tion of Denver's best intelligence. Always ready to meet the meas- 
ures of public enterprise, it is quick to act and generous in its response 
to the demands that are frequently made upon it for aid and encour- 
agement, both in the way of financial assistance and the active, dili- 
gent, persevering work of its individual members. A great deal of 
voluntary work is also done by the Chamber of Commerce in the way 
of giving information abroad through correspondence and special 
publications concerning the resources and advantages of city and 
State. It is also ever on the alert for all national business move- 
ments and measures and makes its influence felt in behalf of the 
leading interests and industries of the West. By recent purchase, the 
Chamber of Commerce now occupies and owns the magnificent 
Mining Exchange Building. 

The Manufacturers' Exchange, an organization growing out of the 
Denver Chamber of Commerce, is one of the most useful institutions 
for promoting the industrial interests of the State. It embraces in 
its membership all the manufactures of note in the city. While in 
the general course of its management preserving the mutual interests 
of a local association, it becomes the headquarters and central source 
of information concerning the resources and advantages of manufac- 
ture in the State. Through the efforts of the Exchange in this direc- 
tion, facts and statistics of great value concerning the variety and 
abundance of raw materials have been gathered from all parts of 
Colorado, and this information is disseminated by correspondence 
and publications that reach all parts of the United States and all the 
countries of Europe. By its investigations it has brought to light a 
great combination of material resources, established the possibility 
of the manufacture of almost all manner of wares in Denver and the 
certainty of a market for them in due time. 

The Mining Exchange, with a membership of about 250, has been 
in existence for the past five years, and was organized for the purpose 
of assisting those having meritorious mining properties to raise 
money for their development. Such capacity the Exchange stands as . 
agent and counsel for the protection of the investor and the assist- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 85 

ance of the owner in the development of prospects, in the disposal 
of shares. The sale of mining stocks on call is conducted in a man- 
ner similar to that of all stock exchanges of the country. 

The Denver Real Estate Exchange is a central body of reference 
for its members, to encourage and maintain uniform business princi- 
ples and usages in real estate transactions ; to disseminate valuable 
information appertaining to real estate in the city and State; to inspire 
closer fraternal relations between agents, owners and purchasers of 
realty ; to influence and direct legislation in reference to laws touch- 
ing the transfer of realty; to discourage wild speculations and ficti- 
tious booms; to encourage and direct as far as possible the invest- 
ment of money in those sections promising the greatest and safest 
returns ; to elevate and dignify the real estate business ; to be a 
medium of information as between buyer and seller, where wants are 
to be filled and oflFers to be met. 

Its Social Life. 

The social life of Denver is a most interesting study. It is a puz- 
zle to the new comer. It is not understood by those who move along 
with it. It has overcrowded and overshadowed the old-timer, and his 
traditions of thrilling events in the early days have lost their whilom 
charm. If it is difficult for people at home to understand the social 
conditions by which they are surrounded, perhaps there is one suffi- 
cient explanation, and that is the rapid increment of a mixed but 
versatile people. The population is conveniently termed cosmopoli- 
tan. In the true sense of the word it is not so. We have the average 
per cent, of the Irish, English, German, Swede and Italian nationali- 
ties for large inland cities. The Chinese are not numerous. The 
people of other nationalities than those named are exceedingly few. 
The great mass of the population are American and they came from 
every State in the Nation, the Canadians forming quite an important 
community. These American people, coming for the most part in 
families, with some definite purpose in view, bring with them their 
provincialisms and their peculiarities. Many bring wealth with its 
advantages of education and refiuement, many more come in pov- 
erty, but with industrious habits, with an honest purpose and an avo- 
cation. The horde of shiftless adventurers must be taken into 
account only as a part of the great drift of' the world upon the turbu- 
lent sea of human life. Whether he is a man of wealth or the man 
well-to-do, or the artisan, the mechanic or the man of trade, he 
builds or buys a handsome home or settle.': in a rented habitation and 
begins the pleasures or business cares of life before the nearest neigh- 
bor has knowledge of the advent of a new addition to the population 
of Denver. 

As life in Paris is distinctively Parisian, so life in Denver is 
distinctively Denverian. Such are the social and business conditions 
that people on a common .plane easily become acquainted. The social, 
fraternal and religious organizations of the city embrace its popula- 



86 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

tion from the highest to the lowest degree and no man or womart 
need remain unknown. Not this alone; every trade and department 
of labor has its distinct organization, and there is an orderly, method- 
ical harmonious trend to every department of the city's social life. 
Albeit, Denver is a city of gaiety and great diversity of character. 

It has been written of every large city that it is " the most wicked 
city in the world." Against this accusation Denver needs no defense. 
It has simply its share of vice, but a more intelligent, industrious, 
cultured and orderly aggregation of people never formed the popula- 
tion of a large city. It contains the best schools and the largest 
number of churches of any city of its size in the Nation. Every 
denomination and creed and peculiar religious belief is represented. 
The churches are of superb and costly construction, the ministers are 
of the highest intellectual order, and their audiences reflect the 
intelligent, moral and business strength of the community. Herein 
consists one of the prime orders of social freedom in Denver. The 
churches are not of the primitive, straight-laced order, and. their 
members enjoy free, social intercourse, one denomination with 
another. 

For the divertisement and culture of the people, whether of the 
wealthy or the industrial classes, there is no end to the number and 
variety of institutions and associations. For the benefit of the latter, 
the building and loan associations are numerous and, resembling 
Philadelphia in a very essential sense, it is possible for every diligent 
workman to secure a home of his own, with its advantages of com- 
fort, amusement and social attraction. For all the people combined, 
first for amusement, there are two first-class, splendid theaters, the 
Tabor Grand and the Broadway — two smaller but popular theaters, 
having great patronage, variety theaters that serve their peculiar pur- 
pose and a score of public halls, capacious and substantial, for all 
manner of public entertainment. The clubs embrace the ordinary 
social and business interests of life. The two leading gentlemen's 
clubs own buildings among the most conspicuous in the city. There 
are the political clubs, athletic clubs, the cyclers' clubs, the literary 
and musical clubs, the social clubs without number; art and dramatic 
clubs and associations, and some excellent schools of music, art and 
oratory. In all these things there are advantages special and peculiar 
to the young people of the city. Only the children who are growing 
into manhood and womanhood are the natives, and these are being 
ushered into the affairs of life with a training to industrial thought 
and habit, with all the advantages of education and artistic culture, 
with unbounded opportunities of amusement and social enjoyment, 
with all these advantages, it is already apparent, as reflected by the 
young men and women who have grown up in the midst of this new 
western life, that Denver's population in the near future will be dis- 
tinctively of a high order in their intellectual attainments, their 
business capacity and social excellencies. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 87 



The Counties. 



Arapahoe. 

THE scenes and incidents that form the opening chapters of the 
State's history, were enacted on the soil of Arapahoe county. 
It embraces some of the vast domain upon which roved, in un- 
disputed possession, the Indian tribe whose name the county bears. 
It became the ground of the first white settlement of the State in 
1858. It was organized when Territorial organization began, in 1861. 
Its early history is associated with the stirring events of the Civil 
war, with the thrilling incidents of pioneer and border life, conflicts 
with the savage red man, and his final subjugation, becoming a part 
of {he story. Its people were the first in bringing out of the chaos 
of the wilderness to a condition of law and social order, and as the 
leading factor in the State's development, it contains one-third of its 
population, and more than one-third of its taxable wealth. The county 
contains an area of 4,950 square miles, being 165 miles long by 30 
miles wide. It extends from 'within ten miles of the foot-hills, on 
the west, to the Kansas State line, on the east, and its surface is, for 
the most part, a level plane. The great center of population is in 
the western end of the county, where the magical City of Denver is 
located, and where the county's enormous wealth is concentrated. 
Denver is the County seat, as it is also the capitol of the State. It 
has a population, conceded by estimate, to be 150,000, and, because 
of its rapid and wonderful development, its commercial importance 
and its multiplying wealth, it overshadows the great county of which 
it is a contributary part. 

A large portion of the eastern and a narrow strip of the western 
end of Arapahoe county possess rich agricultural lands, and contain 
prosperous farming communities. The central part, containing the 
larger area, is unwatered either by streams or clouds sufficiently for 
agriculture, and it still remains, as it has been from the earliest days 
of settlement, a part of the great cattle range of Eastern Colorado. 
The Platte river, flowing through the western end, afi"ords water for 
irrigation to a strip of country from six to ten miles in width, com- 
prising the Platte valley to the counties of the northern boundarj'. 
Situated in this valley, ten miles south of Denver, is the town of 
Littleton, surrounded by beautiful farms and gardens, richly product- 
ive of the cereals, fruits and vegetables. Nineteen miles down the 
Platte to the north, is the flourishing agricultural town of Brighton, 
surrounded by a farming section, equally productive, while to the 
southeast adjoining the suburbs along the valley of Cherry creek, are 
a number of farms and gardens and fruit lands with the young 
orchards just coming into the first years of their bearing. All this 



83 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

surrounding country is tributary to Denver and the greater portion of 
the land is devoted to the garden and the dairy. The country for 
miles is chequered with gardens and small farms for fruits and vegeta- 
bles, while the dairy is an important institution and contributes a 
large share toward the supply of the home market in its various pro- 
ducts. Denver consumes all that can be produced in the adjoining 
gardening and fruit country, and the market prices for such products 
rule high, so that truck gardening has become very profitable. 

In addition to these various branches of agriculture, while the 
live-stock interests become more or less a part of the farm, there are 
within the vicinity of Denver some notable stock farms for the breed- 
ing of fancy cattle and thorough-bred horses. The products of one 
of these farms are noted among the best bloods of the American turf 
and are a source of large revenue to the owners. The catalogue of 
the principal stock-farm of the county contains a list for 1893 of five 
stallions, forty-six brood mares, five geldings and fifty colts 9ad 
fillies, having for the greater part, pedigrees from the most celebrated 
stock of the country. 

The eastern end of the county, embracing an area equal to 1,200 
square miles, lies in the "rain-belt" division of the State, being 
beyond the reach of irrigation, and dependent upon the rain-fall for 
crops. This country comprises for the larger part, an area of 24x30 
square miles including all the eastern end, and a strip running west- 
ward therefrom in the southern portion, a distance of forty-eight 
miles and having an average width of ten miles, confined to the val- 
ley of the Arickaree river. "Within the territory described, there is 
an ample annual rain-fall. Migrating farmers from Nebraska and 
Western Kansas, about ten years ago, discovered the advantages of 
this section and began to make settlements. Now the country is 
being settled throughout with farms and villages, and it is destined to 
be one of the richest agricultural settlements in the State. Unlike 
other arid sections of Eastern Colorado, the area of tillable lands as 
described lie under peculiar meteorological conditions. Here the cold 
currents from the mountains and the warm currents from the south- 
ern plains meet and condense, besides attracting the drifting vapors 
from the "divide," which have a.i invariable movement from west to 
east. The soil is a deep, rich, sandy loam, highly productive of corn 
and wheat, these being the leading crops, while ail manner of farm 
products are successfully grown. The average production of corn is 
about forty bushels to the acre; wheat, twenty-five bushels. In the 
more favored localities, the yield has been forty bushels of wheat, 
weighing sixty pounds to the bushel. While it is a distinctively 
agricultural country it has also good advantages for live-stock and it 
presents a fine field for the combination of these industries. The peo- 
ple who have settled here form an intelligent, industrious class, and in 
building their homes and villages they have taken care to make ample 
provision for schools and churches, and the educational and religious 
advantages are up to the average of all similar settlements in the- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 89 

"State, in a manner isolated from the main centers of population, 
with their convenient facilities of commerce and social communion. 

The population of Arapahoe County (by census returns), in 1890, 
was 132,135. With an estimated increase of 25,000 for the City of 
Denver, since the enumeration, the total population may be fairly 
stated at 157,135. Allowing 150,000 for Denver, thus 7,135 may be 
placed to the credit of other towns and villages, the several farming 
communities, and those employed on the ranges. 

The total assessed valuation of the county for 16192 was $101,672,- 
607, as against 192,887,040 in 1891. This assessment embraces for 
1892. 155,667,694 for town and city lots, and 121,441,237 for improve- 
ment and machinery on town and city lots, making a total of $77,- 
108,931, of which Denver's share, including all assessable property, 
was approximately, $73,000,000. Number of acres of agricultural 
land assessed, 424,669; valuation, $8,231,652; number acres of grazing 
lands, 593,509; valuation, $1,207,033; acres of coal land, 2,560; valu- 
ation, $10,006. Total lands under assessment, 1,018,178 acres; valua- 
tion, $9,438,685. A large proportion of the lands designated as agri- 
cultural are pre-empted, and as yet uncultivated lands, while the 
greater amount of assessed valuation is upon garden and open-platted 
lands surrounding Denver. While for 1893 there will be considerable 
increase in the value and amount of assessable property, the reduc- 
tion made in the rate of taxation will materially reduce the valuation 
for the year. Official estimates place the valuation approximately at 
$99,000,000 for 1S93. Of this amount, it is estimated that the assessed 
valuation of Denver will be $75,000,000, and that of the suburban 
towns, which are in reality a part of the city, $15,00,0,000, making a 
total of $90,000,000, leaving an estimated balance of $9,000,000 for 
the remainder of the county. This latter comparatively small figure 
will not appear so unimportant when it is considered that the greater 
amount of uncultivated, pre empted and railroad lands, having a very 
low market value, are assessed at merely a nominal figure. 

In reference to the total assessment. The rule obtains in Arapa- 
hoe, as well as all counties of the State, that all property is assessed 
at one-third its value. It is also well known that the levy for manu- 
factures, personal and household property, averages much less than 
one-third of real values. Kence, assuming the assessed valuation of 
Arapahoe County to be, in round number, $100,000,000, it is entitled 
to the credit of $300,000,000 as its real wealth in taxable property. 

I/ive stock statistics for the past two years show the animal indus- 
try of the county to be important, with considerable increase in 
numbers. 



90 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Horses, number of 

Mules, " " 

Cattle, 

Sheep, " " 

Swine, " " 

All other animals . 




1892 

16,332- 

929 

22,024 

71,471 

2,432 

1,223 



To make up unavoidable discrepencies in assessor's returns, it is 
permissible to increase the above figures by 20 per cent. While the 
number of sheep is fairly maintained, the number of cattle is greatly 
diminished in late years, due to the conversion of the best ranges 
into agricultural lands and the distribution of the cattle, as well as 
other live stock, among the farms, where they are bred and raised in 
less number but greatly improved condition. Thus a larger number 
of improved graded cattle and fine dairy stock are included in the 
total number. The county is well adapted to the cultivation of fine 
stock and the future holds great opportunity for both increase and 
improvement in the production of sheep for wool and fine breeds of 
cattle, both for dairy purposes and for slaughter. The recent estab- 
lishment of a woolen mill in Denver will give new life and thrift to 
sheep raising, while the cattle growers may find encouragement in 
the extensive packing house facilities that have been added to such 
establishments in Denver during the past two years. By such enlarge- 
ments it has been demonstrated that Colorado can raise, fatten and 
slaughter its animals and send dressed beef to Eastern markets, 
instead of drawing from them the greater part of its supply. It 
could at least supply home demand and have a large market in the 
west. 

Nothing can so clearly tell the story of Arapahoe county's advance- 
ment as the record of its annual assessed valuation covering a period 
of the past sixteen years, which is as follows: 



Assessed valuation. 



Assessed valuation. 



1877 $ 10.686,991 

1878 11,993,990 

1879 16,517,693 

1880 18,830,603 

1881 28,970,573 

1882 34,557,7H0 

1883 34,912,080 

1884 36,201,720 



1885 36,422,085 

1886 38,202,415 

1887 47,037,574 

1888 55,516,175 

1889 68,102,975 

1890 86,445,020 

1891 92,887,040 

1892 101,672.657 



The general tax levy for 1892 was 2^^ mills; total tax for general 
purposes ^240,625. 29; total tax, general and special, ^440,106. 98. 

No section of country in the world possesses greater advantages 
of industry, education and religion. The school census of the 
county is 31,288; number of schools, 500; value of school property, 
$2,879,055. There are more than a hundred churches, and seventy- 
five newspapers in the county, there being three morning and four 
evening daily papers in the City of Denver. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 91 

Arapahoe County combines all the essentials of social and indus- 
trial life that form the sterling character of a community or a com- 
monwealth. Its leading industries are, and must ever be, agricul- 
ture, manufacture and the live stock business. But as it contains the 
capital, the great metropolis and railway center of the State, it will 
always maintain the first position in commerce and wealth, and 
wielding the controlling power in the aflfairs of the State. 
Archuleta. 

The County of Archuleta occupies a central position among the 
southern tier of counties. It is an agricultural and grazing county, 
also possessing considerable mineral resource, which as yet has had 
but little development. It is especially well adapted to stock-raising, 
and adjoins the counties embracing San Luis valley, and also three 
of the counties comprising the great San Juan mining region, in- 
cluding the great silver camp of Creede. The county has an area of 
1,950 square miles, with an elevation of 5,280 to 10,000 feet. About 
three-fourths of the territory is covered with fine pine timber, suit- 
able for lumber, and the remainder open parks and valleys. The 
surface is rolling and mountainous, and drained by the Piedro, San 
Juan, Blanco and Navajo rivers, furnishing ample water for stock and 
irrigation purposes. The soil is black and loamj', productive of the 
cereals and grasses to a very high degree. The count}' seat is 
Pagosa Springs, so named because of the splendid mineral springs 
located there, and which have been for years a favorite health resort. 

The population of Archuleta county is about 900. The county 
was organized in 1S85 from the western part of Conejos county. At 
that time the valuation of the new county was approximately $300,000 
the assessed valuation is now $412,722.50, real valuation, estimated 
$1,300,000. There are five public schools in the county, having a 
school census of about 200. The estimated total acres of agricultural 
land is 124,000 acres ; for grazing, 1,000,000 acres; acres under irriga- 
tion ditches, about 30,000; unoccupied puplic lauds about 12,000. The 
large area credited to timber lands includes a large part of the tim- 
bered country, which affords fine protection as well as good pasture 
for live-stock, and the live-stock industry is one of success and profit. 
The general character of the mineral formation is lime stone, in which 
there have been numerous discoveries of prospects, with but little 
development. There are great bodies of sandstone and numerous 
coal veins, but owing to the great plenty of wood and the lack of 
ample railway facility, but little development has been made, the 
Denver and Rio Grande railway passing through a portion of the county, 
a distance of twenty-seven miles. There are hundreds of slate banks 
not yet utilized. Asbestos is abundant. There are large deposits of 
gypsum and limestone. Building stone is abundant but.undeveloped. 
Crude petroleum is found in the San Juan river, two miles below 
Pagosa ; also in numerous places on the Rio Blanco, twenty miles from 
Pagosa. Archuleta, having a mild southern climate and a rich soil 
possesses all the advantages characteristic of South-western Colorado 
for a combination of industries with agriculture and live-stock as the 
leading interests. 



92 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Baca. 

The County of Baca occupies the extreme south-east comer of 
the State, with an area of 2,536 square miles. It comprises a fine 
agricultural country, productive of all kinds of crops. The county 
was organized in 1887, and is therefore new, with comparatively 
small development, and with a population of 1,800. Its elevation is 
4,400 feet. Three hundred square miles of the territory are covered 
with cedar and Cottonwood. The remainder is an undulating prairie, 
watered by the Butte, Horse, Bear, Sand, Arroya, Carriso and Cim- 
arron creeks, small streams, whose waters are utilized for stock aid 
domestic purposes. Farming is carried on without irrigation, and 
agriculture and stock-raising are the principal industries. The 
county seat is Springfield, and the other towns and villages, all the 
centers of agricultural settlement, are, Vilas, Stonington, Minneap- 
olis, Brookfield, Atlanta, Carisso, Boston, Plymouth, Maxie and Car- 
risso Springs. 

Assessed valuation of county, ^700,000; real valuation, |i,50O,- 
000; county debt, ^29,500. Rate of taxation, 24 mills. Number of 
schools, 30; school population, 561; number of teachers employed, 
25; average wages paid per month, $40; number of church organiza- 
tions, 6; Presbyterian, i; Methodist, 2; Catholic, i; Dunkards, i; 
Baptist. I. 

When it is remembered that all of the county except the 300 
square miles of timberland is credited as agricultural and a compara- 
tively small area actually occupied, 1,408,000 acres of land available 
for agriculture, while an immense 'territory is not an unreasonable 
figure. Of this area, 1,223,000 acres are unoccupied government 
lands, and 85,000 acres are owned by the State. The soil is a rich 
sandy loam. Price of land ranges from I1.25 to $10 per acre. Aver- 
age price (I1.25 for government land) $2 per acre. The leading cereal 
crops of Baca county are wheat and oats, but all the cereals, sorghum, 
broom-corn, milo maize, KaflFir corn, rice, cane, beans, potatoes, hay, 
etc., are successfully raised. 

The live stock business of Baca county, including the wool and 
dairying interests, is nearly equal in importance to that of the field 
products, as shown by the following figures: cattle, 20,000; dairy 
cows, 1,000; horses, 2,000; mules. 2,000; asses, 50; sheep, 15,000; swine, 
1,000. Freedom from disease, cheap feed, wide range, mild climate 
and abundant water are the chief advantages for raising fine stock in 
the county. The sheep grown for wool are principally the Merino, 
with a mixture of the Shropshire and Southdown. Estimated amount 
of butter manufactured for 1891-92, 100,000 lbs.; value, $15,000; 
amount of cheese made, 10,000; value, I500. In the hills of the 
southern portion considerable copper is mined and some veins of gold 
and silver are known to exist, but in this direction there has been no 
development of consequence. A large amount of timber is cut and 
hewn annually, for railroads, and there are ten quarries of sandstone 
and limestone with little development. There are also gypsum and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 93 

lime deposits in the county mined for home consumption. Low taxes, 
plenty of good, cheap land, the capabilities of soil and the opportu- 
nities oflFered for livelihood in agriculture, in live stock and subsid- 
iary industries are the general inducements oflFered to the home 
seeker in Baca county. 

Bent. 

Bent is the middle county of the great Arkansas valley, so fertile 
of soil, so richly productive and so rapidly filling up with agricul- 
tural settlements that its fame is spreading abroad as the Nile of 
America. Such fame, though deserved without qualification, is all 
the more remarkable when it is remembered that the country has, 
within the past ten years, been changed from a wilderness to a land 
of smiling verdure, animated by an enterprising, thrifty people, who 
have laid out beautiful farms and orchards, built comfortable country 
homes, erected towns and villages, and started the wheels of indus- 
try moving throughout this splendid valley. In this wonderful 
transformation. Bent County is the leader, inasmuch as it is the 
original county that formed south-eastern i Colorado, and from it the 
surrounding counties have been taken within the past four years. 
The nucleus of agricultural settlements, however, had been formed 
thoughout the valley before the new county organizations occurred 
in 1889, and the story of Bent County is the story also of Otero and 
Prowers, which adjoin it on the west and east. Bent County has an 
area of 1,511 square miles. It receives its name from Col. William 
Bent, an early Western pioneer. Beyond the confines of the valley 
it is a level stretch of prairie. There are fine bodies of timber along 
the Arkansas and Purgatoire rivers, and in the hills in the south- 
west, where there are forests of cedar. The soil throughout the 
county is a rich, sandy loam, highly productive of all cereals, root 
crops, fruit, and the grasses and clovers. It can be truly said, that 
wherever water is obtainable for irrigation, there is nothing cultivable 
in the temperate zone that cannot be grown here, and it is in the Ar- 
kansas valley that all crops reach their highest perfection, with high 
average yields, bringing large profits to the producers. In the early 
years, stock-raising was almost the exclusive industry, and Bent 
County was the greatest cattle range in the West. It is still an im- 
portant interest, and the population divide their attention between 
the farm, and the cattte range. Assessed valuation in 1892, $1,267,- 
219; real valuation, $3,500,000. 

The county is well provided with schools and churches, and in 
the towns are numerous establishments for such productive indus- 
tries as become necessary in a growing agricultural settlement. The 
total number of acres available for agriculture are estimated at 700,- 
000; available for grazing, only 26,700, all agricultural lands being 
available for grazing when not occupied by farms. By the recent 
construction of additional irrigation canals, about 100,000 acres have 
been made accessible by water, and these irrigated lands are being 



94 THE INDUSTRIiSS AND 

rapidly settled for actual cultivation. Of the entire agricultural 
area, there are by estimate 400,000 acres of unoccupied Government 
lands that invite settlement at the nominal price of $1.25 per acre. 
There are also about 10,000 acres of unsold State lands, located 
within the irrigation system, for sale or lease at very moderate prices. 
L,ive-stock statistics are obtainable only by estimate: Cattle, 
50,000 head; sheep, 20,000; horses, 3,000. Owing to the increase of 
corn culture throughont the valley, attention has been turned to the 
raising of hogs in a very extensive way, and these animals will soon 
be numbered by the thousands as against the hundreds a year or two 
ago. As the greater part of settlement clings to the Arkansas valley, 
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway, which follows the course 
of the stream, aflfords ample facilities to the settlers for the distribu- 
tion of their produce. In addition to its splendid resource for agricul- 
ture and the live-stock industry. Bent county possesses a great deal 
of undeveloped material which will find its uses in the course of time. 

Boulder. 

Boulder is one of the oldest and wealthiest counties in the State, 
possessing great resources of agriculture, mining and manufacture. 
It adjoins Arapahoe county on the north-west, and the City of Boul- 
der, the county seat, is 29 miles distant from Denver. Population of 
county 16,000; area, 1,133 square miles; elevation 5,000 to 14,300 
feet. The county is about equally divided between mountains and 
plains. The mountains and foot-hills are rich in the precious and 
base metals, in stoue and the minerals of commercial value. The 
plains comprise valleys and table lands of great beauty and fertility, 
covered in large part with farms and orchards and vineyards, while 
a large part of the area comprise coal mines and areas of valuable 
clays, lime and other valuable deposits. The valleys are amply wat- 
ered by mountain streams, while the finest mineral springs abound 
in the foot-hills, establishing the county as one of the best sanitari- 
ums of Colorado. The towns and cities of Boulder county are: 
Boulder, population, 5,000; I^ongmont, 2,000; Louisville, Soo; I/afay- 
ette, 1,000; Ward, 500; Gold Hill, 300; Sunshine ,400; Caribou, 200; 
Lyons, 700; Noland, 300; Marshall, 200; Copper Rock, 300. The 
principal towns are the city of Boulder and Longmont, both situated 
in the agricultural districts and near by the mining regions, conven- 
ient to both as a market and the chief centers of industry and trade. 
Boulder nestles close by the foot-hills, a beautiful, thriving city, built 
principally of brick and stone, delightfully shaded with luxurious 
trees, amply supplied with pure water from the mountain streams, 
well equipped with hotels and stores and shops, with churches 
and schools, and among the latter the State University of Colorado, 
an institution that will be for all time one of the greatest establishments 
of learning in the West. Boulder is a growing city, with the signs of 
thrift in all of its business aspects. Longmont is also a thriving little 
city, witli similar advantages of commerce and manufacture, and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 95 

delightful surroundings, standing in the shadow of Long's Peak, one 
of the superb beauties of the Rocky Mountains, and in close prox- 
imity to some of the delightful parks and other mountain resorts 
Assessed valuation, |4,970,907; real valuation, $13,000,000; rate of 
taxation, county, 3}^ mills. 

Agriculture-Total acres of land available for agriculture 120,- 
000 ■ "acres available for pasture, 82,000 ; total acres under ditch, 115.- 
000' total acres cultivated under ditch, 100,000; total acres unoccu- 
pied available land under ditch with available water, 15.000 > total 
acres unoccupied government land available for agriculture, estima ed 
, 000 • average price per acre (deeded land) Sio.oo. The soil is a rich 
saud^ loam. Leading products of the county, wheat, gold and silver. 
The most successful agricultural products: Wheat, corn rye, oats 
potatoes, alfalfa, timothy, red top, beets, celery, beans, buckwheat, 
melons, onions, pumpkins, cabbage. In fact all the cereals and vege- 
tables while fruits of both the large and small varieties become a 
leading crop. Experiments with tobacco have proved successful. 

Estimated average yield per acre: Wheat, bushels 22>^ ; oats. 
,o- corn, 20; barley, 28; rye, 20 ; buckwheat, 30 ; alfalfa, tons, 
U; clover, tons, A^i \ native grasses, iH i millet, 3 i sorghum, gal- 
lons per acre, 125 ; potatoes, bushels, 175. , ■, . 

The average cost of water per acre per season, when purchased, is 
<i 2S The average cost of farm labor per month, is $25 and board. 
Herds of cattle and horses are kept in the mountain parks, and stock 
raising is a profitable industry. But a large proportion of the total 
number belong to the farms, and in raising for slaughter and for dairy 
products, the farmer thus adds materiaily to the profits upon his farm 

^''°Thf county possesses all the advantages for raising fine and fancy 

stock of all kinds. , . ^ 4. ^,^ 

Two creameries, one in Boulder and the other in Longmont, pr<>. 
duce annually about 300,000 pounds of butter, and the value of 
cheese manufactured is estimated at $15,000. In the abundance of 
alfalfa and other honey-making plants produced in Boulder county, 
bee-culture has become an important industry, and a number of pro. 
fessional bee-keepers devote themselves to this calling. T^ere are 
about 5,000 stands of bees in the county, producing annually from 
so.ooo to 70,000 pounds of honey. . „ ,, ♦ :*. 

Though fruit growing is a profitable industry in Boulder county it 
is not extensively followed, and there is room and opportunity for 
great increase in this field of production. While fruits of all varieties 
grow to fine perfection in all irrigated lands of the county, only about 
500 acres are in orchards. Apples form the ^'-^'l^^^^; /'^fj' 
Irow. but not successfully as a crop, and it is an acknowledged fact, 
that he peach has its home and its true cultivation in the fruit-grow- 
ing section of Western Colorado. Other fruits that are successful m 
Boufder county are plums, pears, apricots, prunes, grapes, strawber- 
ries and all other berries and small fruits of the zone. 



96 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

As a mining county, Boulder has, since the first discoveries of 
native gold in 1859, developed immense fortune in mineral treasure, 
and within her many seams and fissures yet unexplored, are greater 
fortunes still for generations to come. It is estimated that there are 
about 300 developed mines in the county, and 500 prospects yet un- 
developed, and many of them known to be properties of great prom- 
ise. The general character of the formation shows gold and silver 
(native), tellurides of gold and silver, pyrites of copper and iron, sil- 
ver ore containing all the sulphurates of silver, galena and zinc 
blende. The leading products in value are silver and gold. Numer- 
ous new discoveries, by development, have largely increased the out- 
put of the mines during the past two years. 

The total product of the mines in gold, silver, copper and lead for 
the year 1892 is estimated at ^1,300,000, a large increase over that of 
previous years, due mainly to the development of new properties. 

In connection with the mines there are about 35 stamp mills, 
employing 150 men. Average wages of mines, $2.50 per day. CoaI 
veins are large and numerous, and there are 23 mines of lignite coal 
under steady development in the south-east part of the county. Aver- 
age price per ton at mine, $1.75; to consumer, I4; average cost for 
mining, per ton, 75 cents; average wages of miners, I3 per day. 
Bodies of fine building and paving stone of various colors are so large 
and so numerous in Boulder county that there is no possibility of 
computing the extent or the amount. Stone quarrying may be car- 
ried on there without limit for centuries. There are probably forty 
quarries isi operation around Lyons and Noland, towns established 
because of the stone industry, besides a number of lesser magnitude 
around Boulder, iioulder county has every advantage of attractions to 
the health and pleasure seeker. The most noted mineral waters of 
the county are those of the Boulder springs, well known to the medi- 
cal profession, and sold throughout this country and Europe. The 
analysis of these waters as officially made, show these constituents: 



Carbonate of soda 984 

Carbonate of lime 7.480 

Chlor. of sodium 30.217 

.Sulph. of soda 3.840 



Carbonate of magnesia 6.020 

Carbonate of iron 081 

Chlor. of Potas 1.100 

Silica 102 



To the pint of mineral water, 49.824 grains; carbonic acid gas, 39 
■cubic inches. 

This analysis shows these waters to be a complicated medical pre- 
scription, beneficial, as proven by their extensive use in cases of dys- 
pepsia, general debility, liver and kidney complaints, and in fact for 
all the ordinary complaints of a disorganized system or broken con- 
stitution. 

The mountain resorts are of easy access by railroad or carriage, 
and in addition to well-equipped hotels there are beautiful lakes for 
rowing and fishing, crystal streams abounding in mountain trout, and 
game in plenty in the denser forests. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 97 

Chaffee, 

Chaffee is a county of great resource and industrial possibilities. 
It is centrally located in the mining regions, comprising mountains 
rich in the precious metals, iron for manufacture, marble, stone and 
granite in masses immeasurable ; valleys, with ample streams ; table 
lands and mesas, with fertile soil for agriculture and for grazing. It 
is one of the upper Arkansas valley counties. The Arkansas river- 
with numerous small tributaries, courses nearly centrally through it 
affording ample water for all purposes. The county is traversed by 
the Denver and Rio Grande, the Colorado Midland and the Denver, 
Leadville and Gunnison railways, with a trackage of 162 miles, afford, 
ing transportation from all the centers of industry and trade. Chaffee 
county was formerly a part of Lake, and was organized in 1879. It 
contains 1,500 square miles. Elevation in valley, 7,500 feet ; moun- 
tain peaks, 10,000 to 14,480 feet. Total population of county, 9,000. 

Assessed valuation of county, 12,834,741; real valuation, $5,500,- 
000; county debt, $224,000; rate of taxation (State and county), 29 
mills. Number of schools, 34; school population, 1,702; value of 
school property, |6o,ooo; number of teachers employed, 44; average 
wages paid teachers, $70. Church organizations: Catholic, 3; Meth- 
odist-Episcopal, 2; Presbyterian, 2; Congregational, 2; Episcopal, 2; 
Christian, 2; Baptist, i. Total acres of land available for agricul- 
ture, 239,360; total acres available for pasture, 350,000; total acres 
under ditch, 20,000; total acres cultivated, under ditch, 14,000; total 
acres unoccupied available land, under ditch, with available water, 
6,000; total acres unoccupied Government land available for agricul- 
ture, 20,000; total acres unsold State lands available for agriculture, 
5,000; average price per acre. Government land, $1.25; State, fro. 
Character of soil, rich, sandy loam. Leading products of county, 
wheat, oats, barley, rye, potatoes, cabbage, turnips, carrots, parsnips, 
timothy, clover, alfalfa and native grasses. Estimated average yield 
per acre: Wheat, bushels, 22; oats, bushels, 42; barley, bushels, 35; 
rye, bushels, 30; alfalfa, tons, 4; clover, tons, 2; timothy, tons, lyi- 

Tkere is no marked advancements in agriculture, as the county is 
devoted mainly to other industries. Increase in population since 
organization, about 7,000. Increase valuation of farm lands, $160,727; 
increase valuation of town and city property, $612,416. Low price of 
lands and good price for products, are the leading inducements for 
agricultural settlement. 

The mining industry of Chaffee county, is of growing importance. 
The principal products are gold, silver, iron, copper and lead. Num- 
ber of developed mines, 50 ; estimated output in dollars for all min- 
eral output, 1892, $235,383 ; stamp mills, 4 ; concentration and reduc- 
tion works, 4 ; number of men employed in concentration and reduc- 
tion works, 100 ; average wages paid per day, $3.00. Large bodies of 
the finest iron ores for manufacturing purposes have been discovered, 
and one group of opening in the Calumet mine has been worked for 
years, producing about i©,ooo tons per year, for use in the iron and 



98 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

steel works at Pueblo. Numerous other properties have been discov- 
ered and only awaiting development. Number of men employed in 
iron mines, 150 ; wages, I3 per day. 

Quaties— Limestone, 3; granite, i, near Buena Vista; marble, i, 
near Calumet; marble, i, near Garfield; men employed, 75; average 
wages, $3 per day. Markets for stone, Leadville, Pueblo, Denver and 
points in Kansas. The marbles discovered are of all colors and in 
large bodies. Among the precious stones are rubies, garnets and 
agates, with petrifactions in small quantities. Deposits in large 
quantities of mineral paint, slate, mica, kaolin, asbestos, fire clay, 
silica, gypsum and lime are found, but as yet undeveloped. 

The sanitary advantages of ChaflFee county are exceedingly fine. 
It is free from the extremes of heat and cold, with almost perpetual 
sunshine. Mineral springs are numerous in the county, and those 
which have been provided with attractive and comfortable accommo- 
dations as health resorts are the Buena Vista hot and cold springs, 
near Buena Vista; Poncha hot and cold springs, near Salida; Hor- 
tense hot and cold springs, near Buena Vista; Haywood hot and cold 
springs, near Buena Vista; Wellsville hot and cold springs, near 
Salida. All these springs contain mineral properties and are regarded 
as highly effective in the treatment of diseases such as ordinarily 
yield to mineral water remedies. The analysis of these waters are 
in many respects similar to the Hot Springs in Arkansas, as shown 
by general analysis. 

The fine climate, the numerous thermal springs, the religious and 
educational advantages, and the many rich but undeveloped resources 
offer great inducements for the home-seeker and the capitalist to locate 
a home or engage in the development of the material wealth of Chaf- 
fee county. 

Cheyenne. 

Cheyenne county occupies a central position among the tier of 
eastern counties, adjoining the State of Kansas, and forming a part 
of the non-irrigated region. It has an area of 1,800 square miles, 
and is 30 miles wide by 60 miles long. It is exclusively an agricul- 
tural and stock-raising county, and contains 575,109 acres of unoccu- 
pied Government land available for agriculture. The entire county, 
except the small portions now under cultivation, is available for pas- 
ture. In other words, Cheyenne county comprises a vast range for 
cattle and sheep, and for live-stock of all descriptions. 

The county was organized as recently as 1889, being taken from 
the eastern end of El Paso, and farming there is quite a new enter- 
prise, with little development, but with results sufficiently successful 
to improve the possibility of agriculture there without irrigation, 
this being a disputed point that has been settled in favor of the farm- 
ers in all the counties of eastern Colorado. 

Thus far, corn is the leading cereal crop; wheat and oats yield a 
fair average; all the cereals can be successfully grown; all the hays 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 99 

are made with profit, while broom-corn is an exceptionally successful 
crop, giving promise of becoming one of the most remunerative pro- 
ducts of the farm. 

In the live-stock industry, while the greater value may attach to 
cattle at present, the sheep and wool feature gives promise of an 
important future. , 

Total population of county, 600; elevation, 4,000 feet; general 
topography, a rolling prairie. Big Sandy, Rush Creek and Smoky 
Creek are the streams, with little water, and none for irrigation. 
The county is crossed from east to west by the Union Pacific railway. 
Cheyenne Wells and Kit Carson are the principal towns, the former 

being the county seat. 

« 1 393 023 

Assessed valuation of county ♦ 5]572]092 

Real valuation 26!200 

County debt . , " ol » 'x 

Rate of taxation 20 mills, (including State ) 

The county has one church, (Methodist), and another in course of 

building. , ^, 

The soil of Cheyenne county is a light sandy loam, and the crops 
best adapted are broom corn, sorghum, sugar cane, melons, wheat, 
corn barley, oats, potatoes, millet, alfalfa, rye, beets and the grasses. 
Price of lands, $3 to $A ($1.25 for government lands under the various 

^''^The prevailing breeds of sheep most successful in wool growing 
are the Merino and Shropshire. Estimated annual clip of wool, 
59 000 pounds; average price, 16 cents per pound. 

The climate of Cheyenne county is pronounced by leading physi- 
cians to be excellent for health seekers, and the water is 98 per cent, 
pure Surfi are the industrial advantages that the present settlers 
have no hesitation in inviting good, industrious, persevering farmers 
to ioin them in the work of developing the country, and to such men 
they extend the oflfer of cheap farms and cheap homes, easily obtain- 
able, and invite them with a welcome and an assurance of their suc- 
cess. 

Clear Creek. 

Clear Creek county has been a steady, producer of gold and silver 
from the first years of settlement in Colorado to the present. It is 
one of the oldest, wealthiest and most substantial counties in the 
State. It is a mining county to the exclusion almost of all other 
industries. Its surface is almost entirely mountains and rocks. In 
the valleys there are about 1,000 acres of agricultural lands. In the 
history of mining development Clear Creek and Gilpin counties are 
twins they are the smallest counties in the State, and have been con- 
stantly rich, reliable producers of wealth, silver predominating in the 
former and gold in the latter. Clear Creek county is one of the cen- 
tral mountain counties, lying about 75 miles nearly due west of Den- 
ver. It has a population of 7, 189. Georgetown, situated m the heart of 
the mining region is the county seat; other towns are Silver Plume and 



100 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Idaho Springs, the latter being a celebrated watering place where the 
thermal springs have a reputation for their cure of rheumatism,skin,kid- 
ney and stomach diseases, being also beneficial to asthmetics and con- 
sumptives. The population is principally composed of miners, and is 
distinctively cosmopolitan. The assessed valuation of mining property 
and gross output is 1296,622, and the total valuation of the county is 
11,907,903. But this falls short of true values. The average annual 
output of gold and silver alone is $2,400,000, and the total real valuation 
is properly estimated at $4,000,000. The county debt is $50,000, and the 
tax rate 3^2 per cect. Gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and iron are 
mined. Among the mines are some producers well known through- 
out the United States and in the mining world. About 175 mines are 
in operation. The general character of the mineral formation is 
granite and gneissic rock. 

Clear Creek is especially noted for the stability of its mines. The 
first discoveries were made in 1859, and from that year to the present 
— a period of thirty-one years — the development has been a work of 
steady progress. Many of these first discoveries are still among the 
largest producers, and present operations involve deep mining, with 
most extensive explorations, and yet there is no sign of exhaustion. 
Many of the properties, as they grow in age, also increase in the pro- 
duction of the precious metals. The county has an area of only 389 
square miles, and although within this small territory thousands of 
claims have beea taken, there are yet undiscovered bodies of min- 
eral, and work for generations to come in the development of mines 
that have as yet barely been opened. Of smelters, stamp-mills, con- 
centrators, reduction works, etc., there are twenty-five establish- 
ments. Clear Creek county is high up in the mountains, its western 
boundary resting upon the back-bone of the Continental Range, of 
which Gray's Peak forms a part. The south fork of Clear Creek, 
having its source in the perpetual snow of the range, courses its way 
through the center of the county forming the grandeurs of Clear 
Creek Canon on its way through the mountains to the plains. The 
Colorado Central division of the Union Pacific, and the Colorado 
Central and Georgetown, Breckenridge and Leadville railways 
traverse the county. The several towns named have eighteen schools 
and thirteen churches. 

In addition to its unlimited treasure, Clear Creek county possesses 
wealth in its delicious summer climate, the sublimity of its scenery 
and the numerous places of health and pleasure resort. Clear Creek 
Canon, the "loop," near Georgetown, are marvels of railway engi- 
neering, and present to view some of the most enchanting grandeurs 
of mountain scenery, while far above, and reaching into the clouds 
amid the peaks that are perpetually clad in snow. Crystal lake and 
Green lake are noted among the most delightful summer resort* on 
the continent of America. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. IQl 

Conejos. 

A large portion of Conejos county lies within the San Luis Valley, 
and it is therefore an agricultural and live stock section for the most 
part, while the people are also sustained by mining and other indus- 
tries. The population of the county is about 7,000, including a large 
number of Mexicans who were the earlier settlers, devoted princi- 
pally to agriculture and sheep-raising. Timber is plentiful in the 
hills, and the fertile valleys are watered by numerous streams. About 
50,000 acres are cultivated in grain, with an average yield for wheat, 
27 bushels; oats, 61; rye, 43; barley, 54. 

The assessed valuation of Conejos county for 1892 was $1,795,624, 
or a real valuation approximating $5,000,000. This taxable wealth 
is distributed principally among the holders of improved lands, graz- 
ing lands, coal lands, the railroads, the live-stock interests and the 
improvements on town and city lots, representing several thriving 
towns in the county. The most important of these is the town of 
Alamosa, the principal market and distributing point from the Den- 
ver and Rio Grande railwaj', which passes through the county, and 
with its branches, have a trackage of seventy-four miles. Statistics 
of live-stock, according to assessor's retvuns, credits the county with 
4,528 horses, 8,647 cattle and 10,320 sheep. The advantages for cat- 
tle and sheep as they exist in the natural and almost perpetual pas- 
turage of the fertile valleys, the foot-hills and mountain sides are 
splendid, and these branches of industry will always be profitable. 

Soil and climate are adopted to all manner of farm crops and, as 
the averages for leading products show, Conejos has no superior. All 
crops are raised by irrigation. Several hundred miles of irrigating 
canals have been constructed, which, besides afiFording water for all 
occupied lands, open many thousands of acres for new settlement. 
The mineral formations of Conejos county are principally leads and 
placers, the carbonate camp at Antonito being an important field of 
operation. However, mining has received but comparatively little 
development, and is not as yet one of its most important sources of 
wealth. Artesian wells are struck at a depth of from 55 to 100 feet in 
almost any part of the county on low land, and the water is cold, soft 
and healthful. The county possesses a delightful climate and is sur- 
rounded by splendid mountain scenery. The numerous streams are 
well stocked with trout, the nearby hills abound in game, thus afford- 
ing attractions to the health and pleasure seeker as well as to those in 
quest of a location and a home in this fine agricultural section. 

Costilla. 
Costilla county is important for its agriculture and live-stock inter- 
ests, chiefly, and occupies the south- east corner of the famous San 
Luis valley; noted for its wonderful fertility of soil and its extensive 
facilities for irrigation, this county alone having irrigatipg canals and 
ditches of a total length of 260 miles, irrigating 200,000 acres of land, 
the greater part of it being open to settlement. The county was 



102 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

established when Colorado was organized into a Territory, and now 
has a population of 4,000. The principal towns are Fort Garland, 
100 population ; San Luis, the county seat, 500 ; San Pedro, 400 ; Cos- 
tilla, 400 ; Mosca, loo; Garrison^ 100. It has an area of 2,500 square 
miles, and an elevation of 7,700 feet. The streams of the county are 
the Trinchera, Sangre de Cristo, Ute creek, Culebra, Vallejos, San 
Francisco, Jaroso, Ventero and Costilla creek and the Rio Grande 
river along the western boundary. The soil of the county is from a 
sandy loam, (sub-irrigating) to a rich heavy clay. The leading pro- 
duct is wheat; but oats, rye, barley, corn, alfalfa, timothy, clover, 
potatoes, sugar beets, and all sorts of vegetables are raised. 

The financial and social statistics of the county are reported as 
follows • Assessed valuation of county, f 1,250,000 ; real valuation, 
3,000,000 ; county debt, 26,000 ; rate of taxation, mills, iS ; number 
of schools, 30 ; value of school property, ^30,000 ; number of teach- 
ers employed, 40 ; average wages paid teachers, J45. 

The religious organizations in the county are Presbyterian, Meth- 
odist, Catholic, Episcopalean. The total acres of land available for 
agriculture is estimated at 400,000; total acres available for pasture, 
800,000; total acres land under ditch, 200,000; total acres land culti- 
vated under ditch, 40,000; total acres of unoccupied available land 
under ditch, with available water, 20,000; total acres unoccupied Gov- 
ernment land available for agriculture, 40,000; total number of acres 
of unsold State lands available for agriculture in county, 6,000. 

Estimated average yield per acre: Wheat, bushels, 22; corn, 23; 
rye, 20; oats, 35; barley, 28. Alfalfa, tons, 4; timothy, i^, peas, 
I 1-5; clover, 3; native grasses, i; potatoes, i. All kinds of vege- 
tables are grown with large average yields. 

Statistics of live stock in the county: Horses, 4,500; cattle, 12,000; 
dairy cows, 1,000; swine, 2,500; mules, 400; asses, 400; sheep, 18,000; 
goats, 1,000. 

The advantages for raising blooded horses, fine and fancy cattle, 
sheep, hogs, poultry, etc., are mainly the splendid meadows and a pure 
climate. 

The wool clip for 1892 was 50,000 pounds, at an average price of 
16 cents per pound. The most successful sheep for wool growing is the 
Merino. 

Operations in mining are of little consequence, though the county 
contains numerous veins of gold, silver, lead and copper ores, with 
seven developed mines. The sanitary inducements for health seekers 
are excellent climate, fine scenery, water of the best and pleasant 
accommodations. Hunting, fishing and climbing to the swrnmit of 
Blanca Peak, the highest in the State, are the chief attractions 
for health and pleasure seekers. In addition to the mountain streams 
there are 150 artesian wells in the county which add to the water sup- 
ply for irrigation, besides being of great value for sanitary and 
domestic purposes. 

By the many advantages enumerated, Costilla county offers fine 
inducements both to the home-seeker and the capitalist, and the field 
is open for many enterprises not yet developed. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 103 

Custer. 

Custer is one of the prosperous agricultural and mining counties 
of Southern Colorado. It is 24 by 36 miles in extent and nestles at 
the foot of the Sangre de Cresto and Greenhorn ranges of mountains. 
The area is partly composed of mountains containing the precious 
metals, its larger part comprising broad valleys for agriculture and 
grazing. Upon the north is Fremont county, on the south Huerfano, 
on the east Pueblo, and on the west Saguache county. Custer county 
has an elevation of 8,000 feet. Grape Creek and its tributaries flow 
through the county and empty their waters into the Arkansas. Cus- 
ter county receives its names from Gen. Custer, killed at the Big 
Horn massacre. It was organized in 1875, It has a population of 
3,000. Silver CliflF is the county seat. It has 23 public schools. 

The total acres of agricultural land reported under assessment are 
18,972 acres, of grazing land 50,448. The greater portion of the agri- 
cultural lands are under cultivation, yielding big averages per acre in 
the cereals, oats, rye, barley, potatoes and alfalfa being the leading pro- 
duct. The valuation in 1872 upon the cattle industry, which is one 
of the leading sources of wealth in the county, was ^109,496, aggre- 
gating 10,912 head; horses, 2,905 head, valued at $84,424. The total 
assessed valuation of the county is $752,121,- or an estimated real 
valuation of $2,200,000. The stock raised is not altogether bred as 
range stock, but considerable attention is devoted to fancy breeding. 
The effect of this is seen in the character of Custer county live stock 
and the position it has attained in the markets of the State. The 
prosperous condition of this industry is due to the exceedingly favor- 
able climate, the abundance of water and the other natural advanta- 
ges of the valleys of the Wet Mountain country. In addition to the 
mineral deposits are beds of commercial minerals and also vast quan- 
tities of variegated marble. Caster county needs only the capital and 
in a short time there will here be developed large industries and an 
impetus will be given the industries already established. There is 
some manufacturing in the county, but the goods made are for local 
use. The lack of railroad facilities has seriously retarded some por- 
tions of the seotion and as soon as these facilities are ofifered the 
county will develop her mines more extensively but will direct atten- 
tion to other channels. 

The county contains large forests and lumber is obtainable in 
large quantities. The annual output in sawed lumber is about 3,000,- 
000 feet. 

The mining industry is promising, but the development has not 
been very extensive in late years. Fine bodies of mineral are known 
to exist, and numerous rich discoveries have been made, giving every 
assurance of the future advancement of the industry. The resump- 
tion of operations in the great Bassick Mine which is contemplated 
for this year (1S93) will give a new impetus to the industry. The total 
annual output of late years has been from $100,000 to $200,000. The 



104 '^HE INDUSTS.IES AND 

population of the county is estimated at 3,000. The combined 
resources of the county, gives great promise for the future and the 
people find plenty of occupation in their various callings and all the 
people are in a prosperous condition. 

Delta. 

No county in the State possesses a combination of industrial re- 
source superior to that of Delta County. This is one of the trinity of 
counties forming what is commonly known as the fruit-growing coun- 
try of the Western Slope, lying between Mesa and Montrose Coun- 
ties, and comprising a large area of splendid lands for agriculture 
and grazing in the fertile valleys of the Uncompahgre, and the two 
forks of the Gunnison river. The first settlements were made in 
1882, immediately following the removal of the Utes, and as a part 
of its industrial history, it is related that the first fruit trees from 
which has developed the wide-spread fruit-growing industry of West- 
ern Colorado, were planted in Delta County in that year. Thus in 
ten years, from this small beginning, 210 irrigating ditches, aggre- 
gating a total length of 600 miles, have been constructed, and 20,000 
acres of land placed under cultivation for general agriculture, and 
85,000 under ditch. Delta County has an area of 1,200 square miles. 
One-fourth of its territory lies in the valleys, and the remaining 
three-fourths comprises a part of the grand mesa of the Western 
Slope, which reaches an altitude of 10,000 feet as it approaches the 
higher mountains. It is in large part covered with fine timber, 
while it also possesses vast tracts of open table lands, having a fertile 
soil, highly productive of the cereals wherever water can be applied, 
and affording throughout the most excellent grazing lands for all 
species of live-stock, the hills and timber lands providing for them 
shelter from the rigors of winter. The valley lands possess great 
richness of soil, and a climate that is adapted to agriculture and the 
fields, the orchards and the gardens yield abundant harvests. 

The county was organized in 1883, and has now a population of 
4,500. The City of Delta is the county seat, with a population of 900; 
other towns, Hotchkiss, 100; Paonia, 100; Crawford, Eckhardt, 50. 
The remainder of the population is distributed for the most part 
among the farms, while Delta county, by reason of the extraordinary 
results attained, is entitled to Its distinction as a fruit growing country, 
its greater capabilities lie in its combination of advantages for 
field production, stock raising, its coal mines and other reserves of 
natural resource. For large growth, beauty and delicious flavor the 
apple and the pear are the leading products of the orchard. Peaches 
also reach that degree of excellence which has made western Colo- 
rado famous for this fruit, while apricots, plums and cherries grow 
abundantly. Grapes also grow in great abundance and beauty, and 
many of the choice California varieties are grown with great success. 
Notwithstanding all the orchards are young and but comparatively 
few of the number planted in bearing, a sufficiency of fruit is raised 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 105 

for home consumption, besides contributing a large share of the sup- 
ply to the towns and mining camps in neighboriug counties. 

Upon the farms the soil is cultivated upon a much larger scale 
and with greater aggregate profit in wheat, oats, corn, barley, alfalfa, 
potatoes, and other crops. Wheat, oats, alfalfa and potatoes are the 
products of greatest volume and value, the average yield per acre in 
all these crops being surprisingly large, and far exceeding the aver- 
age for the State, a fact which is characteristic of all the valley lands « 
of the Western Slope. 

The wealth of the county consists in the most part in its lands aryd 
herds. The assessed valuation is $1,250,000; estimated real valua- 
tion, |4,ooo,ooo. The county debt is $70,000. The county is settled 
with an intelligent, thrifty class of people and the moral tone of the 
community is of a high standard. For the population of 4,500 there 
are eight churches and 22 schools with 26 school teachers. 

The lands of the county are classified as follows: 

Total acres available for agriculture 215,000 

Total acres available for pasture 4.50,000 

Total acres land under ditch 85,100 

Total acres cultivated under ditch 20,000 

Total acres of unoccupied government land available for 

agriculture 75,000 

As cultivation is as yet confined principally to the richer valley- 
lands, the average yield per acre is reported at figures higher than 
would be justified by a general tillage of the land, the average for 
some entire farms in 1892, being estimated as follows: 

Wheat, bushels 40 

Oats, " 50 

Barley, " 80 

Rye, " 85 

Potatoes, " 250 

The abundance of fine grazing land, good water and the capabili- 
ties of soil for the production of hay and other feed, all go to show 
the superior advantages for raising fine stock and for the sheep and 
and wool industry. 

Coal is abundant in the county and there are eight coal mines in 
operation. Average price per ton at mine, $1.50. There are numer- 
ous deposits of the commercial minerals, as yet undeveloped, and a 
number of lime kilns are in operation. The Denver and Rio Grande 
railway passes through the county from east to west, giving commu- 
nication with Utah and all parts of Colorado. 

With all its great advantages the county has but small develop- 
ment and it is in this great reserve of natural resource that the home- 
seeker of the future will find opportunities for livelihood and fortune. 

Dolores. 

Dolores is one of the important mining counties of south-western 
Colorado, which has been waiting for many years only for the adveut 
of the railway to develop its great wealth in gold and silver. Within 
the past year the Rio Grande Southern railway has been constructed 
through the county north and south, tapping the richer districts 



;[0g THE INDUSTRIES AND 

under development. The City of Rico, the county seat, being the 
center of this region, becomes the market, the distributing and ship- 
ping point for the mines of the county. Since the railway came, 
there is already the signs of renewed activity, which in future can 
have no possible check, except the national calamity which affects 
all mining sections alike, the low price of silver, and the want of 
favorable legislation. 

Dolores was created in 1881, from the southern part of Ouray 
County. But long before this time, numerous rich discoveries had 
been made, and a number of mining camps established, among them 
the town of Rico, which has continued to be the leading mining 
camp and the mining center of the county, and has a population of 
2,500. The area of the county is over 900 square miles, and its eleva- 
tion is 7,000 to 14,000 feet. Its topography is principally moun- 
tainous, with a wide stretch of hilly country, and undulating plains 
west of the mountains to the Utah line. In this part is a large area 
of grazing and tillable land, but for the most part it is uninhabited, 
and little pretension to agriculture is made. 

The total population of Dolores County is 2,700, therefore, nearly 
all the mining population centers in the town of Rico. The moun- 
tains are heavily timbered, and the two principal streams are the 
Dolores and West Dolores rivers. 

Assessed valuation $ 900,000 

Couutydebt 90,0o0 

Rate of taxation, State, county and school, 30 mills. The county 
has two school districts, and a school population of 200. Number of 
teachers employed, 4; average wages paid, $85. 

There are only two churches, one Congregational and one Catholic, 
both at Rico. Since the date of organization town and city prop- 
erties have increased $750,000 in valuation. In considering Dolores 
as a mining county it is important that while the m^ounlains under 
development are an extension of the rich gold and silver formations 
of Ouray county to the north, they also adjoin San Juan county, and 
were originally a part of the great silvery San Juan region. The gen- 
eral character of the ores mined are gold, silver, lead, copper and 
iron. There are twenty-five developed mines, a number of them 
yielding large profits to the operators. The greater number of the 
properties are as yet undeveloped, and are known to possess mineral 
with every indication of big fortune. 

The general character of the mineral formation is lime, porphyry 
and some quartzite. The veins are fissure and contact. The output 
of the Rico mines for 1889, was $r, 000,000. The following figures 
for 1S92 will show the ratio of increase since that time, the greater 
part being for 1892: 

ESTIMATED OUTPUT IN DOIvI^ARS FOR 1 892. 

Gold $ 250,000 

Sliver 2,250,000 

Lead 250,000 

Copper 4,000 

Total $2,754,000 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 107 

Coal is found in the sandstone formation and the iron that abounds 
is only used for flux in smelting. There are four coal mines seven 
miles north of Rico. Output for 1892, 5,000 tons. Average price per 
ton, $j; average cost for mining per ton, $2; average price paid coal 
miners per day, $3.50. 

As mining is an interest greater than all others combined, the 
future opportunities of fortune will be mainly in the opening up of 
new discoveries or the many partially developed mines that are only 
awaiting the coming of capital and labor. 

Douglas. 

This county is classed as almost wholly agricultural, with proba- 
bly one-fourth its area covered with useful timber. It adjoins Arapa- 
hoe county on the north and El Paso on the south, having a close 
connection with the chief centers of population. The western half 
of this county comprises an area of many peculiar features, embrac- 
ing, as it does, foot-hills and spurs of the Rockies, bluffs, ridges, 
mesas, parks and valleys, belongiug, in part, to the northern incline 
of the Divide, with its many singular configurations. The valleys, 
hill-sides and table lands are cultivable and highly productive, while a 
large proportion of high lands is covered with timber. While por- 
tions of the county are supplied with water from two large irrigating 
canals, crops are successfully raised every year without irrigation. 

It is one of the pioneer counties, being organized in 1861, and 

named after the Hon. Stephen A. Douglas. It has an area of 860 

square miles, with a population of 3,010. Castle Rock is the county 

seat, and the principal towns are Castle Rock, Sedalia, Parker and 

Greenland. Highest elevation, 6,200 feet. The natural staeams of 

the county are East and West Plum Creek, Cherry Creek, with east 

and west branches, Antelope, Garber, Horse, Jackson and Spring 

Creeks. 

Assessed valuation of county $2,000,000 00 

Real valuation •■•... 4,000.0u0 00 

Couuty debt I«,0o0 00 

Rate of taxation 19 mills. 

Number of schools 2M 

School po',sulation 742 

Value of school property $ 20,000 00 

Number of teachers employed HH 

A%'erage wages paid teachers $ 4S M 

There are five church organizations in the county: Methodist, 3; 
Episcopal, i; Catholic, i. The soil is a sandy loam, exceedingly rich 
in the valleys. Total acres of land available for agriculture, 300,000; 
total acres available for pasture, 275,000. The leading products that 
are successfully grown from the soil of Douglas county are potatoes, 
corn, wheat, oats, rye, barley, millet, buckwheat, sorghum, Kaffer 
corn, sugar beets, beans and nearly all kinds of garden truck. 

For irrigation the Highline ditch and the Arapahoe ditch are the 
principal canals, but there are about 150 smaller private ditches in the 
county. The Castlewood reservoir, recently completed, is located in 
the bed of Cherry creek in the eastern end of the county. This is a 



108 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

m®del and a wonder of reservoir construction. Its capacity 250,000,- 
000 cubic feet or about 2,000,000,000 U. S. gallons and will furnish 
water for hundreds of thousands of acres as yet unoccupied in portions 
of Douglas and Arapahoe counties. Four railroads pass through 
Douglas county: The Denver and Rio Grande, Santa Fe, South Park 
and the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth, giving abundant transpor- 
tation facilities from the farms to the markets. Castle Rock is the 
nearest market place with reference to railroad transportation. 

Estimated number of cattle 11,498 

Dairy cows I,5y8 

Horses \j7 

Hogs .'.....'.'.'.' 523 

Good pasturage, good water in abundance, a great variety of rich 
forage, nearness to the markets of Denver and Colorado Springs, are 
among the chief advantages in raising blooded horses and a number 
of persons have recently engaged in the business. The same advant- 
ages encourage the raising of Jersey and Holstein cattle for dairy 
purposes, and sheep and swine, principally for home consumption, 
while poultry of all kinds can be profitably raised. The dairy busi- 
ness is becoming a leading industry of the county and oflFers great 
opportunity for the future. There are three cheese factories in the 
county and one creamery, located at Castle Rock. Product of butter 
in 1S92, 122,620 pounds; market price, 25 to 35 cents. Cheese manu- 
factured, 355,500 pounds. 

Very little fruit has been grown. A large number of orchards 
have recently been planted. Older orchards bear fairly well. Of all 
the products of field or garden, the greater part is consumed in the 
county, owing to the fact that a large proportion of the population is 
engaged in other industries. Coal is found in the county, but not 
extensively mined. There are four stone quarries near Castle Rock 
shipping great quantities of lava rock; one near Larkspur of red 
sandstone. About fifty men are employed; wages, ^^52.25 per day. 

Precious and ornamental stones, such as topaz, agate, crystals, 
jasper, agatized, petrified, crystalized and opal woods are found in 
considerable quantities. 

Petroleum is known to exist, and development work is in progress. 
Deposits of fire-clay are found at Castle Rock, and lime at Sedalia. 

The county possesses, as a valuable health resort, the Excelsior min- 
eral springs, in the south-east part, on Antelope creek. The follow- 
ing result of analysis shows the water to be very good: 

Grains to Gal. 

Common salt 1.4 

Calcium carbonate . 7.5 

Iron and alumina sulph 1.3 

Ma§:nesium, sulph 1.5 

Sodium carbonate 8 

12.5 

The county, as a whole, is a natural sanitarium, with the best of 
water and pure mountain air. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 109 

Eagle. 

Eagle is one of the central mountain counties, distinctively a min- 
ing section, in its topography wholly mountainous, but comprising 
numerous fertile valleys along the Eagle and Grand rivers and their 
tributaries, where good crops of cereals, potatoes and hay are raised, 
and find ready sale at good prices in the local markets. But the 
chief source of revenue maintaining the population is the mines, pro- 
ducing gold, silver and lead. 

The county was organized in 1883. and now has a population of 
7,200. 

Its principal towns are Red Cliff, Oilman, Eagle, Minturn, Gyp- 
sum, Wolcott and Mitchell. 

Eagle county has an area of 1,800 square miles. Its elevation is 
5,600 to 14,500 feet. The mountains are densely timbered. Assessed 
valuation, 11,293,280; real valuation, estimated, $5,000,000; county 
<iebt, 119,000; rate of taxation, 35 mills; number of schools, 20; value 
of school property, $10,500; number of teachers employed, 20; aver- 
age wages paid teachers, $75. Church organizations, eight; Congre- 
gational, three; Lutheran, two; Catholic, one; Methodist, two. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture 45.000 

Total acres land for pasture S.'iO.OOO 

Total acres land under ditch 17,000 

Total acres land cultivated under ditch 30,0(W 

Total acre unoccupied government land available for agri- 
culture 20,000 

The first settlement was made in the county by miners in 1S79, and 
the first efforts at farming in 1S82, principally for hay and potatoes. 
In favored locations the best lands are held at $40 per acre, and the 
increase in town properties is not so great as in the agricultural dis- 
tricts. The leading inducements for agricultural settlement are easy 
farming and good markets. The Denver and Rio Grande and the 
Colorado Midland railways pass through the county, with a trackage 
of ninety miles, affording easy tranportation for the mines and the 
farms. Assessed valuation of railroads, |S,624 per mile. Experi- 
ments thus far prove that fruits can be raised in the vallej's. 

Mining for the precious metals is the main source of wealth in 
Eagle County, and the result of the past few years proves its perma- 
nency, with a rich promise for the future. The mining districts 
where operations are in progress are: Battle Mountain, Nolan, Taylor 
Hill, Eagle River, Edgeley. 

There are twenty-eight developed mines in the county, and the 
leading products are gold, silver and lead. 

The future mining in Eagle County is very promising. It adjoins 
the great silver and lead producing counties of Lake and Pitkin, on 
the north and the same range of mountains from which the enor- 
mous wealth of Leadville and Aspen has been developed, cross 
Eagle County from north to south. While in addition to the 
developed mines, other rich discoveries, as yet undeveloped, are nu- 
merous, there is still a large field for new and still richer discovery. 



IIQ THE INDUSTRIES AND 

In addition to the mining industry, there is a great abundance of 
building stone in the mountains. Three quarries are open, and 120 
men employed. Average wages, I3 per day, Red sandstone, the 
favorite building material, is the leading character, and the markets 
are Denver, Aspen, Glenwood and other mountain points. There are 
no distinctive health resorts, but the summer climate in the moun- 
tains is delightful, and quite a number of Eastern people spend a 
part of the summer in the mountain towns to enjoy the cool nights, 
the magnficent scenery and the fine sport in hunting and fishing. 

Elbert. 

The County of Elbert comprises a part of the State known as the 
Divride country, and is especially valuable as a rich stock raising sec- 
tion. Its altitude is such that rains are more frequent than is the 
case among the eastern Colorado counties, a fact that is largely due 
to its peculiar physical features. The Divide seems to attract the 
storms which rise in the mountains and pass thence along the high 
lands through Elbert to the plains of eastern Colorado. The county 
has 1,854 square miles, and the average elevation is 6,000 feet. In 
the western part of the county there are large quantities of pine tim- 
ber. Elbert county's population is 1,854, and the people are prosper- 
ous. In no other stock raising section are the inhabitants in better 
condition. There is considerable farming, and where attention is 
paid to the grasses and the early grain crops success is attained in 
farming. The range has been taken up to such an extent that the 
rich land is fenced in small holdings, and where stock raising is pur- 
sued farming is conducted as a necessary adjunct. In 1S92 the valua- 
tion was $1,989,909; estimated real valuation, $4,000,000. There is no 
county debt. This county was taken from Douglas county in 1874, 
and named in honor of Ex- Governor Samuel H. Elbert. Elizabeth and 
Elbert are the important towns. Kiowa is the county seat, on Kiowa 
Creek, about the center of the county. There are 18 public schools 
in the county, with a school census of 600 and a property valuation 
of $12,000. Throughout the county there is considerable agricul- 
tural land and corn and hay are raised abundantly in the valleys. 
Alfalfa will grow in the high lands and espersette where tried in 
the more arid section is found to be peculiarly adapted to the 
altitude and physical conditions. There are a few private ditches 
in the county under which there are about 800 acres in a high state 
of cultivation. There are 500,000 acres of rich land used now for 
grazing purposes. Upon this people are locating rapidly and soon 
the prospects are that stock raising under conditions which contem- 
plate farming to some degree will take the place of the open range. 
For sheep raising Elbert county is especially adapted. There is no 
alkali to injure the wool and the thoroughbred grades of Merino and 
other blooded sheep grow here to perfection. The wool crop of 1892 
approximated 500,000 pounds from 75,000 head of sheep. Next in 
importance is the cattle industry. There are this year in the county 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 11 1 

20,000 head. The dairy interests are growing, and the prospects are 
that shortly from the improved breeds of cattle Elbert will support a 
flourishing creamery trade. The past year about 6,000 acres of grain 
were planted, barley being a profitable crop. Corn was also exten- 
sively raised. Elbert county is healthful; there is an abundance of 
good water, shade, and in general character the country is a highly 
desirable place for summer residence. In the western end of the 
county there are large deposits of building stone, mostly lava, from 
which the material is quarried for local use. There are S3 miles of 
railroad ia the county, operated by the Denver, Texas and Fort Worth 
and the Kansas Division of the Union Pacific. 

El Paso. 

No other county in the State has greater wealth in natural attrac- 
tions than El Paso. Were it not noted moreover, for its great reserve 
of material resource, its fame as the county of Pike's Peak, Manitou 
and Colorado Springs would be sufficient to establish its important 
relation to the State and the rest of the world. El Paso is Spanish 
for "The Pass," so called from Ute Pass, which in early days was the 
gate-way to the West. It was organized as a county when Colorado 
was organized as a Territory. It occupies nearly a central position 
in the State, bounded on the north by Douglas and Elbert counties, 
on the east by Elbert and Lincoln, on the south by Pueblo and Fre- 
mont and on the west by Park county. The county seat is Colorado 
Sgrings. Its area is 2,646 square miles. Its elevation averages 5,000 
feet on the plains and 14,250 in the mountains, the maximum being 
the summit of Pike's Peak. Pine forests cover the mountains. The 
Fountain qui Bouilie and the Monument, small creeks are the princi- 
pal streams. The soil is generally a sandy loam, highly productive 
in the northern portion and along the Fountain, of potatoes, corn, 
wheat, oats, and all the rest of the cereals, and also all the clovers 
and grasses. The county has a population of 25,198. The principal 
towns and cities are Colorado Springs, 15,000; Colorado City, 3,000; 
Manitou, 1,500; Monument, 300; Fontaine, 300. The people have 
come from every part of the United States and all over the world. 
They embrace the industrial classes and people of wealth, retired from 
business who have come to Colorado for health. The general employ- 
ment of the people is farming and grazing, though the development 
of its natural resources forms a large part of its general industries, 
such as quarrying and coal mining, while the dairy forms an impor- 
tant part of the farm. The county forms a community of excellent 
social condition. It has ninety-two public schools, one college, fifty- 
six churches and seventeen newspapers. 

The total acres of land available for agriculture is estimated at 
200,000. A much larger area is devoted to pasturage on the ranges 
for sheep and cattle. There are about 30,000 acres of agricultural 
land now under ditch. There is great abundance of stone and coal 
in the county. The veins of coal are from six to nine feet thick and 



112 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

extend over a vast area. Red and white sandstone of fine quality^ 
crops out along the base of the mountains. Six quarries are now in. 
operation. The stone is of an excellent quality, and the supply is 
inexhaustible. Large quantities are shipped east. Oil indications are 
very promising, extending along the width of the county from north 
to south. The dairy is an important institution in El Paso. Value 
of butter made in 1S92, was $50,000; cheese manufactured, 90,000 
pounds. The sheep industry is a promising feature. Annual clip of 
wool estimated at 400,000 pounds, averaging 16 cents per pound. Six 
great railway lines traverse the county, all passing through Colorado 
Springs. The agricultural yields of fair average. In the northern 
portion, which is upon the " Divide," crops are raised with great suc- 
cess without irrigation. The yield of potatoes there is enormous, 
6,000 to 12,000 pounds to the acre being the usual average. At Colo- 
rado Springs and Colorado City there are numerous manufactories 
from native materials, among them a glass manufactory, a plaster of 
paris and cement factory and a paint factory. At Manitou there is 
an extensive bottle manufactory, and a great lime kiln. Othc lesser 
establishments are too numerous to mention. Colorado City, which 
by reason of its large growth in 'manufactures, has in late years 
grown from a small village into the proportions of a city and is the 
manufacturing center for the great wealth of raw material sur- 
rounding. The manufacture of bottles and other glassware has 
become a large industry; a foundry for manufacture in iron, brass 
and copper, is among the larger establishments; mineral paint 
works, fire-clay and pottery and numerous other manufactures are 
important features in the list of industries. 

Some of the most extensive deposits of red and white sandstone, 
and the largest quarries being at this time operated, are at the edge 
of town. There are in the immediate vicinity inexhaustible deposits 
of fire, potter's and terra cotta clay; a superior brick clay, hydraulic 
cement, gypsum, limestone, and the most extensive mines of cryolite 
which are known to exist in America. There are fluxes of all kinds, 
and railway facilities to transport the ores from the mines, and the 
manufactured products to all points. Colorado City, the " El Paso " 
of 1850, the neglected, despised hamlet of the '70's, has stepped to 
the fore in the manufacturing ranks. 

The assessed valuation of El Paso county is $11,837,271, which 
represents approximately an actual valuation of 133,000,000. 

El Paso county is pre-eminently a refuge for those afflicted with 
throat and lung diseases. The climate and the purity of the air are un, 
excelled. The natural scenery is sublime. Lofty mountains, grand 
canons, leaping cascades, beautiful and picturesque rock formations- 
pensive valleys and quiet dells make it the Switzerland of America. 
The Iron and Soda Springs of Manitou are world-renowned, and 
and give health and vigor to thousands who come from all parts 
of the world to drink of their waters. In its advantages of soil 
for the farmer, its wide range of grazing land for the stockman, irt 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 113 

its wealth of stone and gypsum aud lime, in its boundless resource of 
coal and tht commercial minerals for the manufacturer, in its varied 
employments for the industrial classes; in its healthful climate, its 
healing mineral waters and pure, invigorating atmosphere for the 
sick and the well, in all these are found the most persuasive induce- 
ments that could be offered a people to make El Paso county an 
agreeable, profitable place of residence. 

Colorado Springs, the center of this region of wonder and charm, 
enjoys a large share of the advantages which attach to modern city 
life. It is supplied with water of absolute purity, piped from the 
sides of Pike's Peak. It has a complete and perfect sewerage system. 
It is lighted by electricity. It has about twenty-five miles of finely 
equipped electric railway, with branches to Manitou, Broadmoor and 
the Cheyenne Canons, and to Austin Bluff. It is provided with 
ample hotel accommodations for the thousands who annually visit it. 
It has numerous liveries, giving excellent service with moderate 
charges. 

In addition to these great attractions as a tourist and residence 
city, Colorado Springs has already begun to play an important part 
in the present rapid development of the Rocky Mountain region. 
Situated at the entrance to Ute Pass, one of the great natural high- 
ways into the mountains, it must of necessity become an important 
commercial center, and share with other cities the tribute of the 
mountains and plains. Six lines of railway enter in Colorado 
Springs. 

Five miles from Colorado Springs, and connected by two lines of 
steam railway, by electric railway, by roads and boulevards, is the 
village of Manitou Springs, which is called the "Saratoga of the 
West," by reason of its great popularity, situated in a cleft of the 
mountains at the entrance to Ute Pass. Manitou is essentially a 
summer watering place, the majority of its hotels being open during 
the summer season only. Three canons converge at Manitou — Ruxton 
and Williams Caiions and Ute Pass— all of which are striking scenic 
features. Through the first of these runs one of the principal trails 
to the summit of the Peak, as does also the Cog Railway. The Iron 
and Soda Springs at Manitou are justly famous, having a wide curative 
range. Manitou Springs so justly celebrated becomes the more 
famous because of the many wonders of nature by which it is sur- 
rounded. The Garden of the Gods, the Cave of the Winds, Ute Pass, 
Williams' Caiion, Glen Eyrie, Blair Athol and numerous other places 
of attraction are well-known throughout the world. 

Fremont. 

This is one of the great industrial counties of the State, located on 
the Arkansas river, its area comprising both mountains and plains, 
and embracing the Royal Gorge and the Grand Caiion of the Arkan- 
sas, so famous throughout the world. Petroleum, coal, stone, the 
precious metals, agriculture, fruit-growing, stock-raising and manu- 



114, THE INDUSTRIES AND 

facture are the leading resources and industries that give employ- 
ment to the people, and draw large revenue from the commercial 
world. Its greatest wealth lies in its oil fields, its coal fields and its 
live-stock interests. It is famous for the production of fine fruits. 
In Fremont county are the most extensive oil fields in the western 
country, located at the town of Florence. It is the pioneer section 
of this vast, prospective industry in Colorado. The yield from these 
wells is a suflBcient supply for all Colorado, in refined and crude oil, 
having a large surplus, which is sold in all adjoining States and Ter- 
ritories, and as far east as the Missouri river. 

Fremont county occupies nearly a central position in the State. 
About one fourth of the area is on the plains, and three-fourths in 
the mountains, the mountainous area being bisected by fertile valleys. 
The mountains are covered with timber. The Arkansas river divides 
the county about equally north and south and about fifteen creeks 
empty into the main stream. The county was organized in 1S62, with 
Canon City as the county seat. By the census of 1890, the popula- 
tion was 11,000, divided among the towns as follows: Canon City, 
4,280; Coal creek, 1,100; Florence, 720; Rockvale, 780. The county 
is in a most prosperous condition. Its leading industries are in the 
order of their importance, the production of petroleum and the 
refined oils, coal, fruit, cattle and other live-stock, all farm products 
and the great list of its material resources which become factors in 
its wealth are gold, silver, copper, iron, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel 
arsenic, cobalt, mica, gypsum, coal, petroleum, vitrifying fire brick, 
pottery clay, mineral paints, such as sienna, red and yellow ochre, 
sandstones, granites, lava stone, marble of all colors, onyx, in great 
amount, alabaster, and other materials included in the list of com- 
mercial minerals. With so great a combination of material resource, 
the county is rich beyond computation, its true greatness lying in the 
fact that these resources remain practically undeveloped, and it is in 
this fact that all of Colorado is so immensely rich. In proportion to 
population the financial, educational and social standing of the county 
is excellent. 

Assessed valuation $ 3,450,000 

Real valuation 10,360,000 

County debt 110,000 

Rate of taxation, 25J4 mills for all purposes 

The agricultural advantages of Fremont county are of great 
importance. The lands are divided as follows, according to present 
uses: 

Total acres available for agriculture 100,000 

Pasture lands, acres I,0u0.000 

Total acres under ditch 4ri,000 

Acres cultivated under ditch 45,000 

Total acres unsold State land available for farming .... 9,0u0 

Price of land. Government, $1.25 per acre; deeded land, average, 
$5 per acre. The soil varies from a sandy loam to a stiff clay, known 
as adobe. It yields every vegetable fruit or farm product that can be 
grown in the St. Louis or Washington latitude. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. US 

Fremont county has long held its reputation as the banner fruit 
growing section, because of its priority as a variety producer. At a 
recent fair, 2,500 plates of fruit were exhibited, mostly grown within 
ten miles of Caiion City, 150 varieties of apples, 54 of pears and 60 of 
grapes were to be seen. Fruit lands in this section, in 1891, yielded 
from I300 to $600 per acre. The figures representing the sales from 
one farm of ten acres during a recent average fruit growing year serve 
to illustrate the wonderful possibilities of fruit culture in Fremont 
county. These sales were as follows: (This was exceptional, the trees 
being set 16 feet apart. The general average, however is considera- 
bly lower than these figures.) Apples, dififerent varieties, grown on 
S}i acres, $4,361.60; other fruits grown on 4;^ acres, pears, I553.43; 
grapes, I373. 64; strawberries, ^460. 75; plums, $140.46; cherries, J56. 60; 
gooseberries, mulberries, raspberries, blackberries, currents, peaches 
and quinces, $73.50. Total from ten acres, $6,023.89. Cost of pro- 
duction, packing, etc, $2,467. Net profit, $4,556.89. With but a 
small area in cultivation the annual value of the fruit crop is $125,- 
000, there being many new orchards that have not come into bearing. 
There are these advantages: Plenty of unoccupied fruit lands; a larger 
yield per acre than in Eastern States; a ready market at the highest 
possible prices and always a sure profit. 

In its advantages for the live-stock industry alone, Fremont 
County has great possibilities. Bee culture yields a large revenue. 
Above all else, inculding its production of oil, in which it supplies 
the State, are its resources of manufacture. The present manufac- 
tories are the oil refinery and manufacture of the greases at Florence; 
united oil refinery at Florence; white lead works, copper matte and 
zinc works, roller process mills, canning factory, machine and boiler 
works, carriage works, brick and tile manufactory, Mineral Springs 
Bottling Company works, machine works, etc., all at Canon City. 
The coal mines of the county are operated by four companies, and 
the annual output is about 500,000 tons. 

There are a number of iron deposits that will some day yield great 
results for the manufacture of Bessemer pig. It is impossible to give 
more than this brief outline of the wonderful possibilities of Fremont 
county. There is great wealth alone in the splendid climate and the 
mineral springs of the county. 

The rain-fall is fourteen inches per annum with over 300 sunny 
days in every year. No climate could be more cheerful and healthy. 
Soda, iron and hot springs of unsurpassed medicinal qualities are here 
for the health seeker, while beautiful drives, rugged mountains, 
canons and caves and saurian fields are here for the pleasure seeker. 
Caiion City is lighted by electricity, has a good system of water works 
and sewerage, and the wide streets are lined with shade trees. Within 
the city limits are cold soda and iron springs with curative properties 
for kidney and liver diseases, and three quarters of a mile are the hot 
springs, with ample bathing facilities. The hot springs are located 
at Florence, Caiion City, and Wellsville. The cold, highly carbon- 



lie THE INDUSTRIES AND 

ated soda aud iron springs are numerous throughout the county. All 
the attractions that live towns possess — good livery, beautiful scenery, 
including the Grand Canon of Arkansas, and other points of interest 
too numerous to mention, but of the best and brightest. The hot 
springs are certain cure for many diseases. For the health seeker, 
the home seeker, the fruit raiser and gardener, with all the advantages- 
of soil, climate and market; to the manufacturer, in any line, the cap- 
italist and investor; to everybody contemplating change and new 
fields of action or for any purpose whatever, Fremont county offers 
fine inducements. 

Garfield. 

The county of Garfield possesses a great combination of material 
resource. It is one of the leading counties of western Colorado, em- 
bracing an area of 5,832 square miles. It is two-thirds mountainous, 
and the remainder is rich, weil-watered valleys and fine prairie land. 
The soil is a deep, rich, sandy loam, susceptible of a high state of 
cultivation, and wherever water can be applied it is a splendid 
country for agriculture, yielding a high average in the cereals and 
grasses. The grazing lands of the valleys and the mesas, rich with 
native grasses and sheltered by the mountain ranges, render this 
county especially well adapted to stock-raising, for wool-growing, and 
for the products of the 'dairy. The mountains contain undeveloped 
treasures of silver, gold, iron and lead; mountains of iron, coal and 
stone of the finest quality, and some of the most celebrated mineral 
springs and health resorts of the West. The supply of coal and 
stone is immeasurable, and these are among the leading industries. 
The coal veins are enormous in extent, varying from four feet to 
sixty-five feet in thickness, and in their development a large part of 
the population is sustained. Its western boundary is the Utah line. 
Its elevation is 5,000 feet; its population is 7,000; Glenwood 
Springs, the celebrated health-resort city, is the county seat, with a 
population of 2,500. New Castle, the second in importance, and the 
great coal mining center of the county, has 1,000. 

In its topography, the county is divided up with natural advan- 
tages adapted to all the variety of industries. The streams that 
water the land with bountiful supply are the Grand aud Roaring 
Fork rivers, Eik, Rifle, Beaver, Parachute and Roan creeks. The 
assessed valuation of the county is ^2,359,900; real valuation, ^,000,- 
000; county debt, $200,000. Rate of taxation, 30 mills (State and 
county). Number of schools, 36; school population, 1,200; value of 
school property, ^100,000; number of teachers, 55. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture 500,000 

Total acres available for pasture 200,tH)0 

Total acres land under ditch 90,000 

Total acres cultivated under ditch 35,000 

Total acres unoccupied available land under ditch with avail- 
able water ... 10,000 

Total acres of unoccupied Government land available for 

agriculture ■ 75,000 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 117 

Range of price per acre, I5 to $50. Soil — sandy loam, covered 
with sage. Leading products of county, alfalfa hay. All kinds of 
•cereals, vegetables and fruits are successfully grown, while small 
fruits grow in all agricultural parts. Some portions of the valley 
lands are especially adapted to apples, pears and peaches. Esti- 
mated average yield per acre: 

Wheat, bushels 22 

Oais, •• 35 

Corn, " 2.-J 

Barley, " 32 

Rye. " iS8 

AJfalfa, tons 5 

Clover, " VA 

Timolhv, " 2% 

Red Top. " 3!^ 

Native grasses, tons 2 

Millet, " 4 

Potatoes (Irish), " 9 

Reels (Stock), " 14 

Beets (sugar), " 8 

Estimated total valte of products in dollars, 1S92, in leading 
products: 

Wheat $ e.T.'W) 

Oats I 

Alfalfa ' 

Clover 

Timothy 

Native grasses 

Potatoes, (Irish) 

Onious .;'j,'»)i» 

Since organization the population of the county has increased 
from 600 to 7,000. Farm lands have increased in value about 50 
per cent, in the past two years. As a result of agricultural develop- 
meat the towns of Rifle and Parachute have been established, and 
numerous new settlements made. Plenty of water, good soil and 
nearness to markets are the leading inducements to agricultural set- 
tlement. Four railroads, the Denver and Rio Grande, the Colorado 
Midland, the Aspen and Western and the Rio Grande Junction traverse 
the county with 137 miles of trackage. The irrigating canals are, the 
Grass Valley, 30 miles; Excelsior, 25 miles; and about 60 smaller 
ditches of private ownership, aggregating about 400 miles. 

Number of cattle in county 2r).4O0 

Horses ii,710 

Mules 140 

A>ses 'X) 

Dairvcows 310 

Sheep "',0<X> 

Swiue 400 

In its climate and excellent sheltered valley lands wjth good graz- 
ing and fine products, Garfield county possesses fine advantages for 
raising fancy and blooded stock of all descriptions. The merino 
sheep are mostly raised, for wool. Product for 1S92, 28,000 pounds. 
Average price 17 cents. Dairying — Number of creameries, four; 
cheese factortes, one; estimated amount of butter manufactured, 1S92, 
10,000 pounds; value, $3,000; cheese manufactured, 70,000. Profit 
per cow per season for butter or cheese, |i8. Though the country 
shows a fine adaptation in some large areas of valley lands for fruit 
growing, no very extensive orchards have been planted. The results 



118 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

of first experiments are satisfactory, though the trees have not had 
time to come into full bearing. A large increase in acreage for fruit 
has been made the present year. The valley of the Grand, all the 
way from Glenwood Springs to its southern entrance into Mesa 
county, is laid with a deep, rich soil, easily cultivable and highly pro- 
ductive of general crops, including the cereals. Settlements are 
made throughout the valley, along the lines of railway. Large irri- 
gating ditches have been constructed, and as the valley widens in its 
western outflow, there is presented in the view of vast areas of rich 
grazing lands the perspective of delightful homes and farms in the 
future development of this section. In the lower portion of the val- 
ley in its approach to Mesa county, many fruit farms have been 
planted, and this part of the Grand valley in Garfield county, 
becomes an important part of the great fruit growing country of 
Western Colorado, which is locally known as Grand valley fruit 
country, the home in Colorado of the peach, the apple and the grape. 

The principal mining district for silver, gold, iron and lead is De- 
fiance, where the few mines have no extensive development, the 
efforts of the people being mainly employed in mining for coal, burn- 
ing coke and quarrying. There are also numerous deposits of the 
commercial minerals, which will in time have their development. It 
is from this county whence comes the famous peach-blow sandstone, 
so popularly used in building. 

Number of mines of bituminous coal, 7; average price per ton, ^5; 
average cost for mining, per ton, $2; number of men employed in 
coal mines in county, 600; average price paid miners per day, $3. 
The coal is consumed by the railroads, and the nearby towns and 
cities. Number of ovens, 40; capital engaged, f75,ooo; average 
wages paid, I3 per day; principal market, Leadville smelters. 

Glenwood Springs is one of the most noted resorts for invalids in 
the country, rivaling in popularity the famous Hot Springs of Arkan- 
sas. There are ten large springs, and a large number of smaller 
ones, the largest spring having an outflow of 4,000 gallons per min- 
ute. From the ten springs there is an outflow of 8,000 gallons per 
minute. The largest of the group is located on what was once an 
island in the Grand river, which flows through the town, but is now 
converted into a beautiful garden, in the midst of which are located 
the mammoth bath houses, which annually accommodate thousands 
of visitors, who resort to Glenwood for health and pleasure. These 
springs are alkaline, saline, sulphuric, chalybeate, caloric and thermal 
The extreme temperature of the water is 126.4 degrees. The number 
of grains of solid contents or minerals, to the gallon, varies from 
1.243 to 1.254. One of the most wonderful of the springs is that 
found in a natural cave in the mountain side. The cave is fifteen feet 
high and forms a large chamber with solid stone walls. The hot 
spring in the cave furnishes a natural Russian bath which cannot be 
excelled. The sanitarium feature alone is sufficient to render Garfield 
county an attraction to the world. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. HQ 

The hotel accommodations in Glenwood Springs are excellent and 
ample, while the suburban towns and villages have also been provi- 
ded with" accommodations that render them desirable places for 
country resort and recreation. The completion of the splendid new 
hotel, The Colorado, at Glenwood Springs, this year, at a cost of 
45300,000, will be for the especial benefit of the health and pleasure 
seeker and is a great triumph. In connection with the hotel a large 
bathing pool and new bath house has been constructed at a cost of 
$100,000. 

In the grandeur of the surrounding mountain peaks and ranges; 
in the delightful streams'and verdure of the valleys; in the healthful 
climate and in the many provisions for the health and pleasure 
seeker, Garfield county possesses untold attractions, in addition to its 
great industrial advantages to the home-seeker and the capitalist. 

Gilpin. 

The "Kingdom of Gilpin," as is applied to the county of that 
name, was so-called after the first Territorial Governor of Colorado, 
the Hon. William Gilpin, now living in Denver, ripe with age and 
full of honor. It receives this title because of its exceeding richness 
in gold and its large output of mineral from year to year. Geograph- 
ically it is located a little north of Central, Colorado. It is situated 
directly in the gold and silver belt of the Continental Range. . The 
population is 5,694, of which Central, the county seat, has 2,700. 
Black Hawk, 1,000; Nevadaville, 1,000, and Russell Gulch, 200. All 
these places are mining towns, and the entire county is made of min- 
ing districts and mining settlements. Gilpin county was formed 
from the mountain territory of Jefferson county, under the provis- 
ional government, and was reorganized by the first Territorial I/e;4is- 
lature in 1861. It has the most important connection with the his- 
tory of mining development, as it was upon these grounds that the 
first great gold discoveries were made. Russell Gulch was one of the 
objective points for the gold hunters, and later, after the countr}' 
thereabouts became more thickly populated, as richer strikes fol- 
lowed, that section of the State became the scene of many exciting 
episodes. Miners' courts promulgated all the law that was recognized 
at that time, and the justice then dispensed was of a character that 
demanded respect. From this rough condition was this splendid 
county hewn. Gilpin county is in fact the cradle of Colorado's pro- 
gress. It was in Gilpin county that Green Russell and his party from 
Georgia found the rich placers in 1859, the discovery of which elec- 
trified the country and started westward the tide of immigration. 
Among the mines at work are 85, which produce in large quantities. 
There are 23 stamp mills all using Gilpin county concentrators. No 
mining county in the State has a finer outlook for the future. The 
annual average output has been for some years past approximately as 
follows: Gold, |i, 250,000; silver, |2SS,ooo; lead, $70,000; copper, 
$21,000. The assessed valuation of the county is $1,774,219, the 
real valuation being estimated at $4,000,000 



;[20 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Gilpiu county has a splendid school system. There are twenty- 
three public schools, not including the High school at Central and 
the Aloysius academy. The estimated school census is 1,625, with a 
total value of school property of 150,000. The Colorado Central and 
the Gilpin County Tramway are the railroads, the former twelve 
miles in length and the latter seventeen miles. Here as in the sur- 
rounding counties, mining is on a legitimate basis. As for the future, 
Gilpin county has a supply of mineral that is inexhaustible, and the 
development that is going on still invites capital for more extensive 
explorations, and the miner to new fields of discovery. 

Grand. 

Situated west of the Continental Divide, is the county of Grand, 
embracing about 2,500 square miles. Grand is the county of the Mid- 
dle Park, a magnificent stretch of country lying between the Conti- 
nental Divide on the east and the Wind River Mountains oh the 
south. This is the country of the " New Empire " of the north-west. 
Through it the Grand river (from which the county derives its name) 
flows with its many tributaries. It is a vast feeding ground for thous- 
ands of cattle, and it is to the live-stock industry in fact the county 
is almost entirely devoted. Nowhere are the grasses more nutritious, 
the water better and more abundant, and nowhere in the State is the 
shelter more complete. Here the stock are protected by the high 
ranges, and for this reason severe winters are unknown. As a pleas- 
ure resort Grand county has but few equals. The Hot Sulphur 
Springs in the center of the park, Grand lake, and the numerous 
retreats among thejtimbered growth on the hill-side and by the river 
banks, make it an attractive place. At the springs the elevation is 
7,500 feet, and in some places in the county the altitude is 11,000 feeL 
Coal is supposed to exist in great quantities, and being comparatively 
a new county, the deposits are undeveloped. In this county there are 
about 25,000 acres under irrigation, and the growth of agricultural 
products is fine. Dairying is also an industry of considerable prom- 
ise. Last year about S,ooo pounds of wool was raised. In truth the 
county has many advantages. But at present the main industry is 
stock raising. In 1S92 the total acreage of grain and hay was greatly 
increased over all previous years, all products being mainly for stock 
purposes. The hay crop aggregated 12,000 tons. The population of 
Grand county is about 700. Among the possibilities of the future for 
Grand county are the beds of granite, which is highly variegated, 
sustains a durable polish and makes excellent building material. 
There are also deposits of silver and lead. 

So picturesque are the beauties of the parks in this county, that 
for some years the plan of setting aside that portion of the public 
domain as a Government reservation, has been under consideration 
by Congress, for a National Park, subject to the same regulations 
which govern the celebrated Yellowstone Park. Middle Park, which 
forms a large proportion of the county's area, embracing all the land 



REvSOURCES OF COLORADO. 121 

that is not in the mountains, possesses great attractions for the hun- 
ter, fisherman, tourist and health-seeker. Grand Lake and Hot 
Sulphur ^rings are the objective points, for here they find all requi- 
site conveniences and accommodations, and from these points excur- 
sions are made to the streams and forests. On the shore of Grand 
Lake is situated the town of Grand Lake, the seat of Grand county. 
Here fine accommodations are made for the entertainment of invalids, 
and the convenience of visitors seeking recreation and pleasure. 
Grand Lake is a beafitiful body of crystal water, spreading out over 
many miles, having a rocky bottom and a sandy beach. 

Hot Sulphur Springs are situated about ten miles distant, on the 
west bank of Grand river. Here are a group of springs, having a 
temperature of 117°, which empty their waters into a basin, having 
commodious arrangements for bathing. These waters, both for 
drinking and bathing, possess remarkable virtues in healing skin 
diseases, liver and kidney diseases, dyspepsia, rheumatism, and a host 
of kindred complaints. The constituents of the Hot Sulphur 
Springs are carbonate of soda, lithia, lime, iron, sulphate of potash, 
sulphur, sulphate of soda, chloride of sodium, giving a total solids 
of I20.-24. With railroad facilities, which is one of the expectations 
of the near future. Grand county will become a country of large in- 
dustrial development, while the resorts of Middle Park will ever be 
popular points of attraction. 

Gunnison. 

Among the first to attract great attention and a large inflow of 
population during the first years of the Leadville mining excitement 
was the county of Gunnison. Its fame went abroad as a mining sec- 
tion of great possibilities, and the permanent settlement of the City 
of Gunnison and the numerous mining camps was coincident with 
that of Lake county's great carbonate camp. It is distinctively a 
mining county. But its wealth in gold and silver is not to be compared 
with the enormous stores of other resources which are being con- 
stantly revealed by the processes of discovery and development which 
as yet has scarcely had a fair beginning. The progress of mining for 
the precious metals from the early da3rs is a record of prosperity, and 
the field is one of great promise, but the great riches of the county 
for future generations, perchance for centunes to come, lie in its 
jjreat combination of material that form the basis of permanent and 
diversified industries. First of these in importance are the numerous, 
immense and immeasurable bodies of iron that await the era of great 
manufacture. The leading res .urces may be enumerated as follows: 
Hematite iron, magnetic iron, manganese, anthracite coal, coaking 
coal, bituminous coal, lime for fluxes, fire-clay by the square mile, 
sandstone, granite, gold, silver, lead, copper, black marble, white 
iparble, serpentine marble, variegated marble, mica, mineral paint, 
kaolin, fireclay, gypsum, lime, cement, and a great variety of the 
commercial minerals too numerous to mention. Thus it will be seen 



122 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

that the county can properly be divided into two great mineral classes 
— coal, iron and marble for the one class, and gold, silver and lead for 
the other. 

But these are not all of its advantages for permanent industry. It 
possesses many broad valleys of fertile soil watered by that splendid 
stream of crystal water, the Gunnison river and its tributaries, and 
there are the possibilities of agriculture with every advantage for the 
live-stock industry, which is one of the important sources of its 
wealth. t 

Gunnison county was organized from original territory in 1877. 
Its population is estimated at 6,000. It is a county of immense area, 
being 87 miles in length by 63 miles in width at the longest and 
widest places, and contains (horizontal measurement), 3,340 square 
miles, or 2,137,600 acres. For the most part, the county is broken 
and mountainous, the altitude ranging from 4,500 to 7,000 feet. The 
valleys are occupied by ranchmen and stockmen, and about 48,000 
acres of land are now occupied by ranchers whose lands are subject 
to taxation, 30,000 acres available for agriculture, and 15,000 acres 
under ditch. The lands are productive of the cereals, but farming 
thus far has not proved their most profitable production, and the prin- 
cipal uses of the lands have been the cultivation of hay, potatoes and 
vegetables, the former being uniformly a successful and profitable crop, 
suited to the requirements of the live-stock industry, while at the 
same time commanding prime prices in the markets for all surplus. 

With these peculiar advantages of agriculture, coupled with the 
fact that within these valleys and upon the hill-sides there is a sum- 
mer range of 500,000 acres, unexcelled for richness of native grasses, 
there is great opportunity for the expansion and improvement of the 
live-stock interests in every department. Besides the certain supply 
of the most nutricious of provender, there are the advantages of pure 
water, a mild climate, sheltered pasture and a long season of grazing, 
all combining, in the best possible adaptation, for the breeding and 
successful raising of fine horses, fine and fancy cattle, and sheep for 
fine wool production. In the lower Gunnison valley, the soil and 
climate are adapted in some respects similar to the fruit-growing sec- 
tions of the western counties, and experiments have proven that fruit 
can be successfully grown in many localities. The principal market 
and distributing point is Gunnison City, the county seat. It has a 
population of about 2,000, is well equipped with business establish- 
ments, banks, hotels, churches, amusements, manufactories, and has 
two railways, the Rio Grande and Union Pacific, connecting the city 
with the mines, quarries, etc., and thence cQnnecting with all the 
main lines that ramify the State. 

The other principal towns of the county are Crested Butte, where 
the anthracite and coking coals are located, with a population of 
1,000; Sadler, Pitkin, a mining center, with a population of 800; 
Tin Cup, mining town, 500; Ruby, mining town, 200; White Pine, min- 
ing town, 200; Gothic, 100. The principal mining districts are Pitkin^ 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 123 

Tin Cup, Tomichi or Quartz, Rock Creek and Ruby, and the varieties 

of ores mined are lead carbonates, lead sulphides, silver glance, zinc 

blend, grey and other copper ores. The area of coal alone is 252 square 

miles, and it is estimated that the area within all ^arts of which gold 

and silver ores have been discovered is about 1,500 squar'e miles. In 

1887 the valuation of the county was $1,033,387. The valuation in 

1892 was 12,335,409, representing a real valuation of 17,000,000. The 

following statement of production is for a period of ten years, from 1 881 

to 1891: 

Gold, silver and lead $ 4, .ITS, 301 

Authracite coal l.OriO.WW 

Coke ; l,r)'.)-j (AO 

Bituminous coal 4,2til,4sO 

Granite (for State Capitol) 147 000 

Total ,$ 11,628,781 

Anthracite coal, $3 per ton; coke, $4; bituminous coal, $2. 

If with an average population of less than 3,000 the county can 
produce over $1,000,000 per annum, it shows possibilities that are 
incalculable for the future that promises a full industrial settlement. 
As a result of scientific explorations among the iron deposits of Gun- 
nison county, the points where the larger bodies of standard quality 
are located are near White Pine, the Iron King near Gunnison, and 
the Cebolla deposit, nineteen miles from Gunnison, on the Denver 
and Rio Grande railroad, at the mouth of Cebolla Creek. The White 
Pine deposit is a rich magnetic oxide. The Cebolla deposit is largely 
manganese and hemotite, averaging 43 per cent, manganese, and 0.12 
phosphorus, with a range of from 17 per cent, to 52 per cent, manga- 
nese, and as low as .04 per cent, and .06 per cent, phosphorus. The 
ore averages 55 per cent. iron. 

The following is an average analysis of the White Pine magnetic 

ore bed: 

Metallic iron 66.320 

Silica I.lu6 

Sulphur 0.13 

Phosphorus 0.124 

Phosphorus in 100 parts iron 186 

The Iron King is a deposit of extraordinary and almost indefinite 
possibilities. Samples from the whole mass give: 

Per cent. 

Metalic iron 4it.71 

Sample from whole cut— 90 feet — metallic iron 52. id 

General sample from 40 feet— metallic iron 55.62 

Samples from whole length — metallic iron 5H.19 

Samples from best e.xposures near limstone wall — metallic iron 67.27 

Analysis of general sample: 

Per cent. 

Water 65 

Silica 8.85 

Iron metal 5.S.7.'S 

Sulphur 0.123 

Phosphorus 44 

All the prerequisites of success in the manufacture of cheap pig 
metal are found in Gunnison county. The first of these is abundant 
•ore running above 55 per cent, of metal, at a low cost of mining. 



124 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Second an abundance of coal, coke, limestone and clay near by, with 
a down grade haul to the furnaces. Ample railway facilities are assured. 
The freight on the different materials from the mines to Gunnison, 
where a furnace of steel works could be situated would not exceed $i 
per ton on ore and manganese, and 50 cents a ton on coal, coke, lime 
and fire-clay. It is estimated that Bessemer pig iron can be (pro- 
duced at Gunnison City at a total cost of $11 per ton. 

While the extensive anthracite field at Crested Butte supplies the 
State with the greater part of this article, the fields of bituminous 
and other coals are numerous and extensive, many of them unex- 
plored and untouched for development. The largest and finest beds 
of marble known in the Siate are found in Gunnison county, and the 
granite is the most beautiful, durable and best suited to building, the 
new State Capitol at Denver being built of the granite from this sec- 
tion. The marble beds include a massive ledge of pure white statuary 
marble 250 feet thick, very hard, very fine grained and capable of the 
highest polish. In this review merely an outline of the industrial 
advantages of Gunnison county has been attempted. In addition it 
has maay advantages of climate and health, and many invalids 
sojourn at various places through the county for improvement and 
often realizing restoration. All in all the county has no superior, 
and few rivals in the West for variety of industrial possibilities, and 
no superior in point of wealth, as it is contained in the great reserve 
of undeveloped resources. 

Hinsdale. 

This is an important mining county, and in point of its industrial 
productiveness, it is almost exclusively so. It has about 10,000 acres 
of land available for agriculture, and 5,000 cultivated, under ditch, 
but the agricultural product is so small, and of so little variety, that 
no statistical account is taken of it It has also about 150,000 acres 
of grazing land, but contains no large herds of live stock. Approxi- 
mately, 1,000 head of cattle are wintered, and from 3,000 to 5,000 
head are " grazed " in the county in summer. 

Hinsdale county was organized in 1S74, and is one of the old set- 
tlements of the great San Juan mining '■egion. It contains 1,500 
square miles, and has a population of about S,ooo. Lake City, with a 
population of 2,000, is the county seat; other principal towns, Bach- 
elor, 1,000. Other camps and villages, Spar City, Capitol City, Car- 
son, Sherman, Burrows' Park, Rose's Cabin. The historic Rio 
Grande has its source in this county, and the various streams, valleys 
and forests aflford good hunting and fishing, while in some parts the 
scenery is charming, both in the grandeur of mountain heights, and 
the delightful glimpses of peaceful valley lands. Assessed valuation, 
$2,500,000; real valuation, $6,000,000; county debt, $152,000. Rate of 
taxation, 4 per cent. 

Since the date of ogranization in 1874, the population of the 
county has increased from 100 to Soo, town and city property has in- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 125 

creaserl from nothing to |2,oooper lot of 25x125 feet. The Lake City 
and Creede branches of the Denver and Rio Graade railroad are the 
means of railway transportation from the many camps. 

The county is divided into the mining districts of Galena, Carson, 
Sherman, Lake, Park, King Solomon and Royal Arch. Character of 
ores mined, sulphurides, chloriies, sulphurets, carbonates of silver, 
lead, copper, gold, tellurium and zinc. Number of developed mines 
in county, about 100. Hinsdale county contains one of the largest 
areas in the State of mineral lands of known value but slight devel- 
opment. The veins are large, many of them enormous, and the 
grade of the ore averages high. Aside from its known wealth of sil- 
ver ores, it contains much gold bearing territory of fine promise, 
which is almost altogether undeveloped as yet, but cannot long 
remain so in view of the new impetus given to the mining industry in 
that county. 

Huerfano. 

Huerfano county is one of the wealthiest in the State, in the 
abundance and variety of its material resource. In i86r it 
was organized from original territory, and in 1873, the earliest date 
such statistics were gleaned, the valuation was 376,873; this year the 
assessed valuation is $1,740,498, and the estimated valuation over 
|5, 000,000. Bounded on the north by Pueble, north-west by Custer 
and Saguache, west by Costilla, and south by Las Animas, the county, 
it may be seen, is the center of rich deposits of raw material of all 
kinds and one of the chief repositories of the future vast coal supply. 
There are over 1,700 square miles in the county, with the streams of 
Apache, Huerfano, Cucharas and Santa Clara rivers, running from 
north to south. In the western part of the county are the large for- 
ests. In the valleys and upon the table lands the soil is fertile in 
every direction. There are about 6,967 people in the county, of which 
Walsenburg, the county seat, has 1,000; and La Veta, 35. Two-thirds 
of the people come from the Southern and Eastern States, and one- 
third from New Mexico, of which the county was once a part. Their 
conditipn is good, being engaged in farming, stock-growing and min- 
ing. E^lucational facilities are good. The total number of acres 
available for agriculture, 363,000; for grazing, 726,600; under ditch, 
71,200; unoccupied public land, 256,400. Pine, pinon, spruce, Cot- 
tonwood, elm, cedar and oak are the varieties of timber, with four 
saw-mills in operation, having an annual output of 1,500,000. Silver, 
gold, iron, copper, lead and manganese are the ores mined and the 
principal districts are the Huerfano and Spanish Peaks districta 
Silica and fire-clay, marble of all colors and building stone of fifle 
quality are also found. The first mineral discoveries were in 1875. 
Estimated value of output of nineral last year was $20,000 principally 
from the five mines in operation. The future of mining in this county 
is good, and especially is this true of coal. Last year the total out- 
put in this product was 500,000 tens. In this county the coal has a 
peculiar formation. The top veins are from five to six feet in thick- 



126 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

ness; the second vein seven and one-half feet and the lower veins 
three and one-half feet, with a stratum of sandstone and slate inter, 
vening, running in some instances fifty feet thick. It is estimated 
that there are yet 100,000 acres of coal lands open for filing. There 
are several mineral springs in the county, mostly impregnated with 
sulphur. Grazing continues to be an extensive industry. Dairying 
has improved as a distinct industry, aggregating in value 1:30,000; 
value of honey raised last year, $20,000. It is estimated that 50,000 
acres were sown in grain last year. The climate is not excessively 
cold nor too warm. An ample protection is afiForded by the moun- 
tains. There is an abundance of timber for building and fuel of all 
kinds is cheap. For manufacturing there is no county more promis- 
ing. There are thousands of acres of good agricultural land yet open 
to settlement with plenty of water for irrigation. Such are the induce- 
ments ofiFered by Huerfano county to those seeking homes. The 
county is traversed by the Denver and Rio Grande and Union Pacific, 
Denver and Texas railways, giving an outlet in all directions for the 
produce of the people. 

Jefferson. 

The county of Jefferson possesses splendid advantages of agricul- 
ture and is rich in mineral, together with a great variety and enor- 
mous amount of material for manufacture. It was organized in 1S61, 
adjoins Arapahoe county on the west, contains an area of about Soo 
square miles, embracing an agricultural strip noted for its beauty and 
fertility, of about twelve miles in width by thirty in length, highly 
productive of the cereals, the grasses and fruits of many kinds. The 
remainder of the county is composed of foot-hills and mountains, 
-where the great wealth of mineral products are found. The popula- 
tion is approximately 8,450. The principal towns are Golden, popu- 
lation 4.000; Morrison, 500; Aivada, 150. Golden, one of the oldest 
settlements in the State, is a manufacturing point, and the seat of the 
State School of Mines and the State Reformatory. It is the local 
market of the farmer and surrounded bv unknown wealth of material 
for manufacture and building. Morrison, besides being a delightful 
health resort is sustained mainly by its wonderful industrial resources. 
.Arvada is situated six miles from Denver, in the midst of a splendid 
garden and farm district, and is becoming a point for manufactures 
suburban to Denver. At its organization in 1S61, with a small settle- 
ment divided in interests between agriculture and mining, both in 
their primitive stages, the first years' assessment was $166,000. 
The assessed valuation of the county is now $4,214,602; real valua- 
tion, $12,000,000; county debt, $167,626. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture, 175,000; total acres 
available for pasture, 337,000; total acres land under ditch, 95,000; total 
acres cultivated under ditch, 80,000. The South Platte river, Bear 
Creek, Clear Creek, Ralston Creek, and Deer Creek, all about equitably 
distributed, rush out of the mountain canons into the plains part of 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 127 

Jefferson county, affording abandance of water for irrigation and 
domestic purposes. The soil of Jefferson is generally of a sandy, clayey 
loam, highly productive. The average yield per acre for the cereals 
and grasses is stated as follows: Wheat, bushels, 30; oats, bushels, 40; 
com, bushels, 25; barley, bushels, 45; rye, bushels, 21; alfalfa, tons, 
4; clover, tons, 2/^; timothy, tons, 2>^; native grasses, tons, 2; pota- 
toes, (Irish), tons, 5. 

The leading inducements to settlement, in addition to the re- 
sources of wealth, are convenience to the markets, and the excellence 
of the climate. The county is abundantly supplied with railway 
facilities, there being eight lines passing through different portions of 
the county. For irrigation of the agricultural lands, there are six 
large irrigation canals, having a total length of 96 miles, irrigating 
95,000 acres of farm lands, orchards and gardens. The live-stock 
interests of the county are of great importance, owing particularly to 
the breeding of improved stocks of animals, both for utility and 
fancy. The dairy interests of Jefferson are of large importance, and 
the estimated product of butter in 1891-92 was 125,140 pounds, hav- 
ing an average price of thirty cents per pound. With 2,536 hives of 
bees, 77,683 pounds of honey were produced last year. The orchard 
and the garden for small fruits is a most important part of the gen- 
eral industry, the principal fruit crops being apples, grapes, pears, 
strawberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants and raspberries. 
The surplus of these products have a convenient and ready market 
in Denver and the mountain towns. 

The various manufactures for which the raw material is procured 
in the county, are fire-brick, pressed brick, tiling, pottery, lime, cut 
stones, plaster of paris, sewer pipe, stoneware conduits, gold, silver* 
copper and lead reduction works, beer, paper, flour, feed, bee hives^ 
wagons, ale and porter, calcined fire-clay, etc. 

Five mines are being now worked for iron ore, while semi-bitn- 
menous coal veins, five to sixteen feet thick, are numerous. The 
annual output of coal is about 20,000 tons. Of the commercial and 
manufacturing minerals, there are eleven deposits mined for fire- 
clay, distributed as follows: Golden City, 3 mines; Golden Gate, 3; 
Dry Creek, 2; Apex, 2; Glencoe, i. Silica is mined at Glencoe, gyp- 
sum at Morrison, and lime is found in great bodies all along the foot- 
hills, from Platte Canon to Ralston Creek. 

In addition to the numerous opportunities offered for enterprise 
by reason of the great combination of natural resource, the good 
farming lands in close proximity to the markets, the splendid facili- 
ties for irrigation, good •churches, good schools, good society and a 
healthful climate, form a leading part in the many inducements to 
the home-seeker and the capitalist 



X28 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Kiowa. 

Kiowa is one of the agricultural and stoek -raising counties of 
eastern Colorado, adjoining Kansas on the east, and bordering the 
Arkansas valley on the south. It is one of the new counties, organ- 
ized in 1889, and having been so recently transformed from the range 
to an agricultural settlement, farming was not attempted there until 
the year 1890. Therefore, it is in its primary stage of development, 
with a pupulation of 1,840, principally devoted to agricultural pur- 
suits, the crops being raised, for the most part, without irrigation. 
The soil is a dark, sandy loam, with a marl and clay sub -soil, through 
which run the streams of the Big Sandy, Rush Creek, Adobe Creek 
and Whiteman Creek. The Big Sandy is the only living stream, 
aflfording water for stock and for irrigation to a limited, extent. The 
county contains 1,794 square miles, and has an elevation of 3,900 to 
4,025 feet. The country is generally a level prairie, broken only b)' 
the valleys of the streams, which are heavily fringed with timber, 
and numerous depressions which become refreshing lakes during 
seasons of rain, affording water throughout the dry months for live- 
stock. 

The Missouri Pacific railway extends through Kiowa county east and 
west, and along this line have been built numerous towns. Assessed 
valuation of county, $1,326,738; estimated real valuation, ^,500,000; 
county debt, $12,000; rate of taxation, State and county, 21 mills; 
total acres available for agriculture, 1,200,000; acres suitable for pas- 
ture only, 25,000; total acres under ditch, 5,000; total acres cultivated 
under ditch, 500; total number acres of unsold State lands, available 
for agriculture, 60,000; average price per acre, $2.50. 

While 25,000 acres are classed as suitable for grazing only, the 
«ntire county consists of the most excellent natural pasturage, except 
where occupied by farms. Wheat is stated as the leading product 
within the capabilities of soil, but the volume of its production and 
profit has been insignificant thus far when compared with that of 
sorghum, for which all the land of the county is especially well 
adapted. The value of the sorghum crop for 1892 is estimated at 
$500,000, the estimated total production being 125,000 tons. With 
the exception of the small area of 500 acres under ditch, all the lands 
"have been cultivated by rain-fall, and great advantage is claimed for 
the county in this respect. The cereal crops, thus far, however, have 
been quite limited in volume, with an average production per acre about 
as follows: Wheat, 18 bushels; oats, 26; corn, 25; barley, 20; rye, 22; 
sorghum yields 5 to 10 tons without irrigation. One of the largest 
land companies in the State has now under construction a large canal 
from the Arkansas river, extending from tlie western boundary of the 
county to a point twelve miles east of Arlington, draining into a great 
natural basin, which, when filled will be the largest body of water in 
the State, having a depth of forty feet and covering an area of thirty- 
six square miles. This lake will be filled during the winter and 
reserved for summer use, and it is estimated that it will irrigate two- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 129 

thirds of the cultivable land in the county. lu the process of irriga- 
tion the surplus and seepage waters will naturally drain into the 
smaller lakes so numerous and they, too, will become perpetual reser- 
voirs for irrigation supply. These lakes can also be filled from the 
ditches during the non-irrigating period. 

Blue stem grass grows so luxuriantly that ranchmen dispose of it 
readily at good prices in the markets of Denver. Sorghum cane pro- 
duces so abundantly that three factories have been established in the 
county for the manufacture of syrup and sugar, which is of excellent 
quality, all the surplus finding ready sale in the Kansas and Colorado 
markets. Here is opportunity for a great industry that could be made 
suflScient alone for the maintenance of the county. The range inter- 
ests are of considerable importance, and by reason of the cheap main- 
tenance of all animals could be made an industry of great profit. 
There are at present 25,000 animals in the county, and 18,000 of these 
are cattle, principally upon the ranges. In view of the great improve- 
ments to be made under the reservoir system, the opportunity of 
obtaining cheap lands and cheap homes in Kiowa county are excep- 
tionally good, as both Government land and cheap State lands are 
being placed under irrigation, while the deeded lands average very 
low in price. The additional cost of water is by rental |i.5o per acre 
per season; perpetual water rights, $8 for 80 acres, with an annual 
maintenance assessment of 15 cents per acre. 

Kit Carson. * 

This county was created in January, 1S89, and formed from the 
eastern third of Elbert county. It is one of the eastern border coun- 
ties, occupying a central position among them and having 2,160 
square miles. Its elevation is 4,600 feet. It is one of the " rain-belt " 
counties, where farming without irrigation has just past the era of 
experiment, agriculture and stock-raising being the principal occupa- 
tions of the people. The name of the county was bestowed in honor 
of Kit Carson, the noted pioneer and celebrated scout among the 
Indians. It was originally a part of the great cattle range of Eastern 
Colorado, but since its separate county organization and the introduc- 
tion of agriculture, stock raising has become in part an enterprise of 
the farm, although it possesses great advantages of pasture in its 
broad domain of unoccupied Government land, which is also availa- 
ble for agriculture, but dependent almost wholly upon the rain-fall. 
The time since the county's organization has been too brief for any 
very considerable progress as compared with the older counties, yet 
it has manv elements of promise, chief among them being nearly a 
million acres of unoccupied Government land, available both for agri- 
*^ulture and stock raising, while possessing also some valuable 
resources for other industries. Population of county, 2,700; county 
seat, Burlington, population, 300; other towns, Flagler, Bethune, 
Claremont, Vona and Seibert. The county is mostly a level prairie. 



130 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

covered with buflfalo grass. Assessed valuation, $1,372,409; covnty 
debt, $720; rate of taxation, State, 4 2-5 mills; county, 10 mills; 
general school, 4 mills. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture, 1,244,430; total acres 
under ditch, 950; total acres cultivated under ditch, 350; total acres of 
unoccupied Government land available for agriculture, 929,700; total 
number of acres of unsold State land available for agriculture, 13,000. 
All the lands available for agriculture are also estimated for pasture. 

The assessed value of $2.50 per acre, is quoted as the average value 
of land. The soil is a dark, deep sandy loam, and the leading pro- 
ducts are wheat, rye, barley, oats and corn. Of other products that 
are successfully grown are broom corn, sorghum, potatoes, millet, 
peas, beans, pumpkins, squash, watermelons, muskmelons, beets, 
peanuts, turnips, cabbage and in fact all field and garden vegetables. 

Agriculture in Kit Carson county may be regarded as on a par 
with most of the non-irrigated counties of eastern Colorado, where 
for the first year or two farming was purely experimental, but the 
people who from the first settled there have been pursuing their 
original purpose of establishing permanent homes and farms. De- 
pending upon agriculture, they have continued to improve their sur- 
roundings, and strengthen their industries, and to-day their faith is 
unshaken in the future poesibilities of their country, while new set- 
tlements and new homes are being continually made. 

While the county Is well adapted to the live-stock industry on a 
large scale, the animals are confined principally to the farms for do- 
mestic purposes. Thus tne dairy business and the sheep and wool 
industry gives promise of a great future. With plenty of good water, 
at slight depth, a mild and healthful climate, plenty of cheap, pro- 
ductive land. Kit Carson county has many attractive advantages to 
the home-seeker. 

Lake. 

The magic city of Leadville, the great silver producer of America, 
is the capital and mining center of Lake county. Leadville is known 
the world over, and the name is justly associated with massive for- 
tune. So great is its fame, the identity of Lake county is synonymous 
with that of the silver city, with its broad environments of treasure- 
laden hills, covering an area of 15x24 miles. The names of Iron 
Hill, Carbonate Hill, Breece Hill and Fryer's Hill, with their honey- 
combs of precious metals, are known in every land, and the Little 
Pittsburg, the Robert E. Lee, Colonel Sellers, the Smuggler, the Sil- 
ver Cord, the Maid of Erin, and other rich mines by the score, have 
distributed their wealth to the people of all the world. Great for- 
tunes have been made here in the past, great fortunes are being made 
to-day, and still greater fortunes await those who will dig the treasure 
from the deeper depths in^he future. 

Within a period of twelve years, the State of Colorado, so great 
in its combination of industrial resource, has grown into a condition 
of prosperity and independence unparalleled in the history of new 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 131 

countries, having received the true impetus of its marvelous devel- 
opment from the first discoveries at the great carbonate camp in 
1879. The figures which tell the substantial story of that first years' 
development are startling in the extreme: $10,333,740 taken from 
the shallow openings in gold, silver and lead. The enormous pro- 
duction of each succeeding year to the present has contributed in 
great proportion to the establishment and growth of every industry 
in the State; it has been the chief magnate to immigration and the 
first attraction to the numerous lines of great railways that connect 
Colorado with "every State in the Union. It is this capital that has 
built a large portion of Denver, Pueblo and other towns and cities 
of the State, giving competence and fortune to many hundreds in 
Colorado and making many happy hearts and homes throughout 
America and foreign lands. Great fortunes were made by placer 
mining in Lake county long before the greater treasure in carbon- 
ates came to light. The discovery of California gulch, which forms 
the southern boundary of the City of Leadville, dates back to i860, 
and it is a well attested fact that something like $15,000,000 in gold 
was taken from the bed of the gulch before it was exhausted. 
Eighteen years later, however, the section was again brought into 
prominence by the discovery of the deposits of lead carbonate ore. 
Reports of the marvelous discoveries soon spread, so that by the 
close of 1878, about 1,500 people were clustered together in log 
cabins and tents, the first habitations of Leadville. Then it was the 
mining hamlet of Oro, but the unparalleled stampede from every sec- 
tion of the country soon transformed the hamlet into a city of 30,000 
people, and this within a period of six months. Leadville was then 
incorporated, but with the cabins and tents and all the crudities of 
a pioneer town still predominating. But Leadville did not wait upon 
the advent of railroads, but quickly supplied itself with many of the 
comforts and conveniences of civilized life, and long before the 
whistle of the locomotive woke the echoes the city was supplied 
with telegraphic communication with the outside world, with also a 
telephone service connecting the business houses with the principal 
mines; with water and gas and electric lights; with sewers and 
graded streets; with an adequate fire department and police protec- 
tion; with theaters and other amusements, and if there were no 
church buildings, there were christian organizations and places of 
worship. 

As the figures of production for 1S79 ^"d each subsequent year 
will show, this was the beginning of the real substantial, profitable 
development of Colorado's mines, and now, since the day of sensa- 
tional booms has long ago passed, there can be no comparison be- 
tween the mining business of the present and that of twelve years 
ago, embracing the period of the Leadville discoveries. That was 
the era of the new beginning. Sure progress and a permanent pros- 
perity mark the operations of to-day. 



132 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 



The treasure which lies beyond the reach of present operations 
is known to be greater, beyond the possibility of comparison, than the 
great total output in gold, silver and lead, of $179,710,207 since the 
year 1879. ^ the older mines of Leadville alone there will remain 
fabulous masses of treasure for generations, possibly for centuries 
to come. The limit to the depth of rich ores has never yet been 
reached. A signal feature of the past year's mining has been the 
number and frequency of important strikes in the old mines of Lead- 
ville, giving an impetus and interest to mining that the district has 
not enjoyed for years. Similar strikes have been made in the mines 
of the numerous outlymg districts of the county, where also new 
properties have come into profitable production, and where some 
splendid finds of gold have recently been made, awakening a new 
interest and renewed search for the yellow metal. Discoveries 
made in the course of extensive development in the mines within 
the city limits has confirmed, in the minds of experienced miners, 
the idea that the whole city of Leadville is underlaid with an enor- 
mous body of high-grade ore. Prospecting experiments with the 
diamond drill have proved almost beyond question the correctness 
of such theory. 

The prospects throughout this great area of mineral formation are 
without number and there is no telling how many of these unexplored 
properties, especially in the new districts may prove to be as great in 
mineral wealth as those that have given so much treasure. Thus it 
may be seen that the future oflfers greater opportunities in I/ake 
county than were known or thought of in the past. 

The following table shows the annual yield of Leadville mines 
from 1879 to 1893, in gold, silver and lead, as reported by the respect- 
ive mine owners: 



Year. 

1879. 
1880. 
1881 

1882 . , 

1883 . 
1884. 
1885 . 
1886. 



Value in'dollars 
. $ 10,833,740 69 
15.095,153 00 
13,170,576 00 
17,131,853 00 
15,839,446 00 
. 12,837,497 00 
12,357,662 00 
13,750,733 30 



Year. 

1887 . 
1888. 



1890, 

1891 

1892. 



Value in dollars. 

. $ 12,072,967 81 
11,605,205 48 
18,639,351 75 
11,798,892 84 
11,916,740 00 
8,160,388 00 



Total $ 179,710,207 



The large falling off in value of output for 1892, may appear to be 
a fact in contravention of all the cjaims of increased development, 
new discoveries, etc., which should add, rather than take from the 
volume of annual yield. This is easily accounted for without the 
slightest disparagement to the interest in Lake county. There is one 
leading cause which brings with it other reasons for mitigation, 
namely, the low price of silver and lead in comparison with former 
years. Taking into account also the fact that owing to the low price 
of silver and lead a number of large producing mines have decreased 
their working force or closed operations altogether during the past 
year, it is very clearly demonstrated that the output of 1892 was fully 
equal in volume to that of each of the other two succeeding years. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 133 

The principal employment of the people other than mining and 
smelting are merchandise and manufacturing, subsidiary to mmmg. 
The average wages paid miners is $3 per day. The whole county 
comprises a scene of mountain grandeur, which may be overlooked 
from Mount Massive, five miles from Leadville. Evergreen Lakes 
and Soda Springs near by are delightful places of^ummer resort^ 
The air is cool and dry, the waters invigorating, and m all respects 
the climate congenial. 

The future, prosperity of Lake county is as certam as the con- 
tinued existence of the mining industry of Colorado. 

La Plata. 
La Plata is one of the great industrial counties of the State, hav- 
ing unmeasured wealth in its combined interests of agriculture live- 
stock, mining, manufacturing, smelting, its coal and coke industries 
and varied attractions of nature, among them its ^P^f/^J^^^^^f. 
springs and places of health and pleasure resort. All these devel 
opme'ntsare'singulariy illustrative of the peculiar -d -p'^ ^-^^ 
formation of a western country from the state o savagery to that o 
a high order of civilization. Twenty years ago the .Indian held full 

possession. A small portion of the -^""^'•^^V^^^f^^;; ^^^o^ 
and until near fifteen years ago there were but few traces of the foot 
steps or handiwork of civilized man. The county occupies an area 
of '700 square miles, being 60x45 miles in extent and is the leading 
industrial' county of South-western Colorado. I" .;«73. -d for a 
vear or two previous, the San Juan mining excitement brought 
swarms orpro'spectors into the country, and in i874,La Plata county 
was formed from parts of other counties. Tne townsof Animas City 
Indpl^ot City were the first settlements within the present limits 
of the county, and in the spring of x88o the site of ^he present city 
of Durango was laid out; in i88r it was incorporated, and is now a 
livrng cUy of 7,000 inhabitants, the total population of the county 

'''T^hrtrographyof the county comprises high mountains in the 
nor~hnis'an'd high mesas on the upper half -" val evj 
and extensive lower mesas in the southern half. The upper mesas 
:' mountains are finely timbered, and the entire county is ampv 
watered by the Los Pinos and Florida creeks, and the Ammas 
Tnd La Plata rivers, affording the best of water for domestic and 
rrfga^ on purposes. These streams course through large areas of 
he richest kind of agricultural lands, both valleys and mesas being 
ecuX p oductive of every plant that is indigenous to a southern 
cHmate embracing many hundreds of thousand of acres as yet unoc- 
cu^fd,' induding a portion of the Southern Ute Reservation, when 
these lands shall be finally opened for settlement. 

AS essed valuation of county. t.,3o,.763; real valuat.on of count,; 

,6,905,304; county deb. (bonded a"" -'="'"*"^ "»"■""' 'i^^^^e 
average rate of taxation for all purposes, 45 5-6 m.lU. Of the above 



134 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

assessed valuation, 11,149,211 is upon Durango lots and buildings; 
real value of same estimated, $3,447,633. The school census of the 
county is 1,308. The following statement shows La Plata county 
to be a most promising field for farming and the live-stock industry: 
Total acres available for agriculture, 640,000; total acres available 
for pasture, 600,000; total acres under ditch (including lands accessi- 
ble to present system), 300,000; total acres land cultivated under 
ditch, 24,214; total acres unoccupied available land under ditch with 
available water (including lands in Ute reservation,) 235,698. The 
soil is a rich admixture of sandy loam, clay, etc., productive in a 
high degree of wheat, oats, hay, potatoes, beets, rye, barley, 
corn, all kinds of fruits and field and garden vegetables. Crops 
have grown so enormously rich in places and so far above the gen- 
eral average as to appear incredible, some fields yielding as high in 
wheat as sixty bushels, and oats 100 bushels to the acre, other pro- 
ducts maturing in the same ratio in exceptional cases. The averages 
are stated as follows for leading products: Wheat, bushels, 25; oats, 
40; alfalfa, tons, 5; clover, 2%; timothy, 2%; red top, 2; native grasses* 
iK; potatoes, tons, 6; sugar beets, 12. Nearest market place, 
Durango; estimated total value of leading farm products, 1892, 
1300,000. 

With its extensive ranges of grass and its fertile lands, product- 
ive of all the farm crops the county possesses superior advantages 
for the live-stock industry. 

The yield of the orchards in the past two years establish as a 
certainty that fruit culture will be one of the large and profitable 
industries of the future, the mesas and higher grounds of the valleys 
being especially well adapted to peaches, apples, pears and grapes. 

The City of Durango has become an important manufacturing 
point. The leading establishments of the county,, including several 
saw mills at other points, are enumerated as follows : Iron works, 
I ; planing mill, i ; saw mills, 5 ; lumber manufacturing companies, 
3 ; flouring mills, 3 ; pressed brick companies, 2 ; lime kilns, 2 ; char- 
coal burners, i ; smelters, 2 ; sampling works, i ; reduction works, 
I. Estimated value of annual output of manufactories, not includ- 
ing smelters, $450,000. Throughout the county the coal deposits are 
numerous and vast in extent, and nine companies are in operation 
developing the properties, supplying the railroads and industries of 
all south-western Colorado, and also shipping to other markets. 
Total output in tons, for 1891, 125,000 tons; 1892, 225,000 tons. 
Average price per ton, delivered, $2.50 to f 3 ; number of men em- 
ployed, 200. Immense deposits of iron ores exist in different parts 
of the county. General character, red hematite, spathic, bog, mag- 
netic, etc. There iron exists close by abundance of coking coals. 
Five quarries are in operation upon large deposits of white, red and 
and purple sandstone, and also fossil lime and marble. These quar- 
ries are located at and near Durango, in the Animas valley. The 
county contains great deposits of commercial and manufactural 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 135 

minerals, not yet developed. La Plata county possesses many 
sanitary advantages in its healthful climate and splendid mineral 
springs, cold and thermal. These springs are the Trimble Hot 
Springs, Pinkerton Hot Springs (sulphur and iron), Sackett's Springs 
(cold soda), La Plata Springs (soda and sulphur), Durango Bath 
Springs. All except the La Plata are located in the Animas valley, 
from Durango to fourteen miles above, and some of them become 
fine health and pleasure resorts. With all the advantages of natural 
resource enumerated, and with all its advantages of a high order of 
social life, La Plata county offers extraordinary inducements to the 
artisan and the laborer, to the home-seeker, the health-seeker and 
the capitalist. 

Larimer. 

Larimer is one of the oldest and richest of the northern tier of 
counties. With an area of 4,500 square miles, it embraces a domain 
of grazing, as well as agricultural lands, and contains large deposits 
of mineral and building stone, thus combining a variety of indus- 
tries, either one of which is sufficient to make it wealthy. The west- 
ern half belongs to the mountains, embracing the great North Park, 
which contains the finest grazing lands in the world. It is therefore 
a producer of sheep and cattle for the most part, while in agricul- 
ture its crops are principally the grasses and potatoes. The eastern 
half comprises the plains and the valleys of the numerous streams 
by which it is amply watered, and it is a land rich in agriculture and 
live-stock, overspread with homes, towns and villages, fields, orch- 
ards and gardens. The Cache le Poudre and the Big and Little 
Thompson, with their numerous tributaries, water the lands, and 
some of the largest crops in the State are produced. Upon the 
north of the county is the State of Wyoming; east, Weld county; 
south, Boulder and Graud, and west, Routt county. Fort Collins, 
the principal city, is the county seat. Crossing it from north to 
south is the Medicine Bow range of mountains, the highest peaks 
of which rise 14,000 feet above sea level. The population is 8,108, 
of which Fort Collins has 2,500. Other towns are Loveland, Ber- 
thoud and Walden. The county was organized in 1861, from original 
Territory, and named in honor of Gen. James Larimer, who became 
governor of Kansas in the early days. Two years after its organiza- 
tion the valuation was $5,ooo; in 1879, it was $1,724,820, and last year 
the valuation had grown to $5,136,480, assessed, or a real valuation 
of $15,000,000. There are fifty-eight public schools in the county, 
not including the Agricultural College, an institute well known 
throughout the Western country for its usefulness in promoting the 
agricultural interests of the West. In Larimer the school census is 
2,800 and the property valuation $8400. There are also large church 
organizations, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Brethren, Episcopa- 
lian, Baptist, Catholic, Christian and Unitarian. In Larimer county 
there are about 150,000 acres of land available tor agriculture; and 
about 2,000,000 acres grazing; the aggregate public land is estimated 



136 THE INDUSTS.IES AND 

at 2,000,000 acres, including mountain and park lands. Upon the 
mountains and along the streams there are large sections covered 
with timber principally pine, cedar, spruce and the Cottonwood and 
the timbering output is large and finds ready sale at local points. A 
sufficient amount of development has been done to demonstrate 
beyond doubt that there are rich gold and silver and copper mines 
in Larimer county. Extensive coal veins have been found in North 
Park, but are yet undeveloped. Gypsum and lime are also found in 
great quantities. Larimer county is one of the largest producers of 
building stone in the State. A large number of quarries are now in 
operation, with an output of 15,000 car loads per annum. The qual- 
ities of stone are the white, grey and red sandstone and also gran- 
ite. There are also large deposits of tinted grey and mottled marble. 
There are 312 miles of irrigating canals and 88 miles of railroads 
operated by the Union Pacific company. For picturesqueness 
and variety of scenery, Larimer county is unsurpassed. The 
value of the manufactures aggregate about |i, 000,000 per annum. A 
large portion of this was flour, which has a high reputation through 
the eastern markets. Whilst in some counties the grazing interests 
are on the wane, Larimer maintains its position as one of the chief 
stock-raising sections. This year there are 60,000 head of cattle on 
the feeding grounds; 20,000 horses, 18,000 sheep, with a wool-clip of 
75,000 pounds. The acreage of grain this year is very large. Apples 
produced last year, 10,000 bushels. In all particulars where 
agriculture is concerned, Larimer county takes rank as a successful 
section for the farmer. The product is unsurpassed and the markets 
are always active. While possessing great material resource, the 
most remunerative industries are those pertaining to the farm and 
live-stock industries, which include extensive breeding of fine and 
fancy cattle and horses; numerous dairy establishments and the 
extensive cultivation of fruits of all kinds. Of the cereals, wheat is 
the great product while alfalfa and potatoes form enormous crops. 

Las Animas. 

Las Animas county, in its present stage of development, bespeaks 
a future of great industry and fortune which is only waiting popula- 
tion, capital and labor. Las Animas county is situated in southeast- 
ern Colorado, the Territory of New Mexico being its southern 
boundary. The west half of the county comprises foot-hills and 
mountains; the eastern half is prairie. In the prairie portion the 
valleys are cultivated under irrigation; in the mountain portion are 
numerous farms where crops are raised without irrigation. Through- 
out the western portion the industries are divided between coal min- 
ing, coke burning, farming, quarrying and the lumber business, the 
mountains being covered with forests of pine, cedar, pinon, hemlock, 
and scrub oak. Gold, silver, iron, and traces of copper are also found 
but as yet with little development. The county has an area of 4,032 
square miles, with an elevation of 4,000 feet on the plains and rising 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. I37 

to 13,000 feet in the mountains. The county has a population estimated 
at 20,000. The City of Trinidad, situated iu the midst of the great 
Raton coal fields, is the county seat, with a population of about 9,000. 
Other towns in the county are El Moro, 400; Starkville, 1,500; Engle- 
ville, 1,500; Sopris, 1,500; Victor, 15, Gray Creek Mines, 250; Forbes 
Mines, 1,000; Aquilar, 500; Road Cafiou Mines, Soo, nearly all these 
settlements having been made at or near the coal mines, the popula- 
tion being engaged principally in mining, farming and stock raising. 

The county is watered by the Purgatoire river and Apishapa, Trin- 
chera, San Francisco, Gray, Raton and Chicosa creeks. The valleys 
of these streams comprise the principal agricultural lands of the 
county available by irrigation. There are eleven irrigating canals 
and ditches in the county affording sufficient water for 51,562 acres, 
and there are now 35,000 acres cultivated under ditch. The soil is a 
black leaf mold in the mountains, a sandy loam and clay on the 
plains, and adobe in the bottoms. 

The county was formed from unorganized territory in 1866, hav- 
ing at that time a very small population, and a valuation of only 
Jioo,ooo, on account of a lack of development. The assessed valu- 
ation for 1892 was 14,000,000; estimated real valuation, |i2, 000,000. 
The county has a bonded debt of $250,000, at 2 per cent. 

The permanent stability of the county is assured in its vast re- 
serve of material resource. Its wealth in coal alone is sufficient for 
a large population. One of the greatest advantages is that of rail- 
way facilities. The Denver and Rio Grande, the Atchison, Topeka 
and Santa F^, and Denver, Texas and Fort Worth railways cross 
the county, reaching Trinidad, giving an outlet to the Pacific Coast, 
the Gulf of Mexico, and communicating with all parts of Colorado 
and the West. The county is well provided with educational facili- 
ties and religious advantages. 

The entire area of unentered Government land is classed as graz- 
ing land. The greater part of this land is the open prairie, com- 
prising nearly all the eastern half of the State, being for the most 
part beyond the reach of irrigation. It becomes a great range for 
cattle and sheep, and gives to Las Animas great advantages in the 
live-stock industry. The remainder of the lands are distributed as 
follows: Total acres available for agriculture, 210,000; total acres 
land under ditch, 52,000 ; total acres cultivated under ditch, 35,000; 
total acres unoccupied available land under ditch with available 
water, 17,000; total acres unoccupied Government land available for 
agriculture mountain lands, 75,000; of lands under reservoirs, on 
prairie, estimated, 80.000. The soil is productive of all the cereals, 
grasses and vegetables, and some fruits are grown. The most 
profitable crops in their order are alfalfa and potatoes. 

Number of cattle in county, 40,000; dairy cows, 1,000; horses, 10,- 
000; asses, 700; mules, 500; sheep, 75,cxx); swine, 1,000. It will be 
seen that cattle and sheep form a large part of the industry of the 
people. The sheep are bred up from the New Mexican natives to seven- 



138 "^HE INDUSTRIES AND 

eights grade by thoroughbred Merino rams, and the annual wool clip 
aggregates 500,000 pounds, having a value of from 15 to 19 cents. The 
dairy cows belong to the farms. Product of butter, 50,000 pounds; 
price, 30 cents per pound. Alfalfa, plentiful grazing on native grasses 
and a mild southern climate give superior advantages for dairying. 
Profit per season for butter, common cows, fss- 

Most of the manufactures are located in Trinidad. Establish- 
ments in county: one rolling mill, one foundry, two smelters, three 
flour mills, one planing mill, four stone quarries, five saw-mills, one 
cement plant. Capital invested, $300,000; value of annual output, 
^^250,000. There are ten coal mines in operation, and the population 
at these ten camps aggregates 8,650 souls. Average wages paid 
miners, 50 cents per ton. The mines are easily worked, the veins 
being /^% to 15 feet thick. Amount of capital engaged in coal min- 
ing, $7,845,000. Average cost for mining per ton, 80 cents. 

Great bodies of fine sandstone exist in the county, and four quar- 
ries adjacent to Trinidad are in operation. This stone is shipped for 
building purposes to the northern counties of Texas, and through the 
State as far northward as Denver. ^ 

Coking is a large industry at Trinidad, as statistics show: number 
of ovens, 650; number of men employed, 700; capital invested, $390,- 
000; output in tons, 1892, 201,177. The markets for the coke are the 
smelters of Colorado and adjacent territory. Manufactural and com- 
mercial minerals are plentifully deposited in the county. 

Although the county shows remarkable development, a great 
future yet awaits it. The manufactqries most needed are woolen , 
mills, tanneries, beef canning, glass works, brick yards, cotton mills 
and a number of other establishments that might be maintained to 
utilize the cheap fuel and abundant raw material. 

Lincoln. 

Lincoln is centrally located among the eastern tier of counties, 
possessing advantages exclusively for stock-raising and agriculture. 
It is one of the newly organized counties, being sparsely settled, and 
containing 1,500,000 acres of unoccupied Government, railroad and 
State lands for entry, lease and sale. The county was organized in 
1889, and prior to that time was the home of the range cattle. It is 
now being gradually converted into agriculture, though with small 
development. Sheep-raising is one of the leading branches, and 
the most important in value of product. For the most part, the 
farmers depend upon the rain-fall for their crops, though there is 
sufficient water in the several small streams for considerable irriga- 
tion, and there are about 2,000 acres under ditch, and 1,500 acres 
cultivated by irrigation. 

The county has an area of 2,592 square miles. Population 800, the 
settlements being made principally along the lines of the Rock 
Island and Union Pacific railways, which cross the county, the former 
from east to west, in the northern portion, the latter from south-east 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 13^ 

to north-west. The elevation is 5,000 to 5,600 feet, and the land is 
mostly a high, level prairie, cut sufficiently by streams for good 
drainage. Hugo is the county seat, and the other villages located 
on the railways are Arriba, Bovina, Limon, Mirage, Creech, Boero 
and Lake. The county has no debt, and the rate of taxation is only 
16 mills for all purposes. Assessed valuation, 11,675,266. Total acres 
of land available, 1,327,104; total acres available for pasture, 331,776; 
total acres land under ditch, 2,000; total acres cultivated under 
ditch, 1,500; total acres unocupied Government land available for 
agriculture, 1,000,000; total acres unsold State land available for 
agriculture, 500,000. Price of lands. Government, I1.25 per acre; 
railroad, I3.50 to |j 5 50, ten years time; State lands for lease. The 
soil is a dark, sandy loam, productive of the cereals, grasses, vege- 
ables. etc. Estimated average yield per acre for leading products: 
wheat, bushels, 18; oats, 35; corn, 35; barley, 30. rye, 18; buck- 
wheat, 20; alfalfa, tons, 5; timothy, 2; native grasses, 2 ; millet, 2; 
sorghum, 4; broom corn, 3; potatoes, 5. 

In common with other sections of the plains, where the range is 
wide and covered with nutritious grass, affording good grazing 
almost all the year round, the advantages are excellent in Lincoln 
county for raising blooded horses and fine and fancy cattle, sheep, 
etc Estimated number of horses in county, 691; cattle, 5,757; dairy 
cows, 500; swine, 30; sheep, 73,350. Estimated annual clip in wool, 
366,750 pounds. Average price per pound, 14 to 16 cents. The breed 
of sheep is from one half to three-fourths blooded Merino, and the 
manufactural standing of the wool is good. 

Whatever disadvantages and privations there may be in the early 
stages of a settlement, it is urged as one of the strongest persuasive 
arguments that a man may at once install himself in a home with 
160 acres by homestead entry at trifling cost, and from the start reap 
greater profits than are known on the best farms of Eastern States. 
If the immigrant prefer he can lease the State lands at a cost of $8 
per year for 160 acres, and be paid for all improvements made at the 
end of his term. Among the special advantages claimed for the 
county as being attractive and satisfying to the immigrant, are: 
Pure air and bountiful sunshine, mild winters, clear, cold and soft 
water, no malaria, cool nights for sleeping and comfortable days for 
recreation and labor. As to benefits of the climate, it is claimed to 
be a sure cure for asthma and highly beneficial to people afllicted 
with lung or chest diseases. The county is amply provided with 
schools and churches and the social condition of the community is 
good. 

Logan. 

Logan is an agricultural and stock raising county, situated in 
north-eastern Colorado, western Nebraska being its northern boundary 
line. Its location is in every way favorable for commerce and indus- 
try. While it may be included in the tier of eastern counties depen- 
dent upon the riin-fall for farming, the South Platte river runs cen- 



240 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

trally through the county from south-west to north-east, and 
from this stream ten irrigating canals, with 113 miles in the county, 
afford water for 76, 100 acres, and 35,000 acres are now actually under 
cultivation under ditch, with 35,000 acres more of rich land under 
ditch unoccupied and open for settlement. One of the supreme 
advantages of Logan county is that farming can be successfully carried 
on with or without irrigation, while there is plenty of water and a great 
abundance of grass for stock. The raising of cattle for the markets 
is the leading feature of the live-stock industry. The Union 
Pacific railway follows the Platte river in its diagonal course through 
the county and is crossed at Sterling by the Colorado and Wyoming 
railway, which also passes nearly centrally through the county east 
and west, thus affording easy and ample transportation facilities for 
the products of the farm and range. The county has an area of 1,830 
square miles. Elevation, 3,920 feet. For the most part its area is 
undulating plains, the streams being the South Platte river, Pawnee, 
Cedar and Frenchman creeks. Sterling is the county seat, with a 
population of 1,200. Other towns and villages are Fleming, Atwood, 
Merino, Iliff, Crook and L,eRoy. 

Assessed valuation of county, 11,706,093; real valuation, 5,118,279; 
county debt, 30,000; rate of taxation, 28 mills; increase of valuation 
since organization, land 33 per cent; increase valuation town property, 
25 per cent; total acres of land available for agriculture, 976,680; 
total acres available for pasture, 194,320; total acres of land under 
ditch, 76,100; total acres of land cultivated under ditch, 35,000; total 
acres of unoccupied land under ditch with available water, 35,000; 
total acres of unoccupied Government land available for agriculture. 
839,673; total number acres unsold State land available for agricul- 
ture, 40,000; average price per acre for all land, $3. The soil is a 
sandy loam. Wheat is the leading product and all the cereals, grasses, 
vegetables and fruits can be grown that are grown anywhere in a sim- 
ilar latitude. Estimated average yield per acre for leading crops- 
wheat, bushels, 20; oats, 40; corn, 30; alfalfa, tons, 4; native grasses, 
tons, i>^. The estimated total value of leading products for 1892, 
was $313,562. The first settlers farmed only under ditch, but of late 
years, in the Frenchman valley and on the uplands, crops of all kinds 
ha\e been successfully raised without irrigation. In Logan county, 
as in all the rest of the arid region where the seasonable rain-fall is 
sufficient, deep ploughing is the main secret of success. The growth 
of population and industry is of a steady, permanent character. A 
cheese factory and a flouring mill have been established at Sterling, 
and an elevator near the east line of the county. 

Estimated number of live-stock in county: Cattle, 30,000; horses, 
2,949; mules, 95; asses, 2; dairy cows, 750; sheep, 16,000; swine, 
1,000. Logan county has many advantages for the horse, many 
herds living the year round without other care or shelter than nature 
affords. Blooded horses do extremely well, as the climate is very 
healthful. The advantages for raising fine and fancy cattle, sheep. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. -[41 

^ogs, poultry, etc., are very good. This part of Colorado was for- 
merly the home of the range herds of cattle, the animals living 
through all seasons of the year without other sustenance than prairie 
grass. In the matters of climate and good pasture the county 
throughout is especially well adapted to raising sheep for wool. 
Estimated annual clip, 100,000 pounds; average price, 15 cents per 
pound. The breed of sheep most successfully grown are the Shrop- 
shire and Merino grades. The manufactural standing of the wool 
is regarded as good, being fine, long, staple wool. The dairy is an 
industry of growing importance. 

The educational and religious advantages of Logan county will 
compare favorably with any county in the State. Churches are 
numerous and there are 44 schools for a school population of 917. 

In addition to the numerous advantages presented for the home- 
seeker, the health-seeker aud the capitalist, there are thousands of 
acres of choice Gjvernmeiit laud subject to the homestead entry; 
thousands of acres of deeded lands that can be bought at from $4. to 
$6 per acre; plenty of lands under good irrigating ditches that can be 
bought with water at from $1$ to $30 per acre. In all respects, its an 
inviting field for the immigrant farmer contemplating a location in 
the West. 

Mesa, 
Mesa county has been famous as the representative fruit growing 
section of Western Colorado. It embraces the fertile valleys of the 
Grand, Gunnison and Plateau rivers in their outflow from the State 
into Eastern Utah. It possesses a combination of large resources in 
such materials as the precious metals, stone, coal and the manufactu- 
ral minerals, all being as yet undeveloped, except coal, which is the 
basis of an important productive industry. Fruit growing, general 
agriculture and the live stock business are the chief industries. Fruit 
growing becomes the leading interest, and the valley of the Grand is 
the region where such development has been made within the ten 
years of its settlement that it has won fame as the great fruit country 
of Colorado. Its true greatness, however, will come a few years later 
with the results of present development. Mesa, together with Delta, 
Montrose and Garfield counties, prior to 18S1, embraced a large por- 
tion of tha Ute Indian reservation. The Indians being removed in 
1S82, white settlement immediately began in the valley, the people 
first turning their attention to stock growing and general agriculture, 
and fruit tree planting as an industry did not begin until 1SS6. Mar- 
velous results have followed this brief period of time. In 18S3 the 
county was divided into separate counties, and Mesa made its organi- 
zation with a population of 500. It now has a population of 7,000, the 
thriving city of Grand Junction, t!».e metropolis of western Colorado, 
having a population of 3,500; De Beque, 200; Fruita, 250; Cleveland, 
100. The county contains an area of 3,400 square miles and has an 
altitude of 4,500 feet. Its topography comprises broad valleys, high 
mesas or table lands, broken by hills and sloping spurs of the moun- 



]42 ^'HE INDUSTRIES AND 

tain ranges. The valleys are everywhere rich in soil and the mesas 
are highly productive of all crops wherever water can be applied. 
The high mesas and hills are covered with spruce, pinon and cedar 
forests. Assessed valuation, $2,303,000; real valuation, $7,000,000; 
county debt, $79,000; rate of taxation, State, county and school, 40 
mills. 

Total acres land available for agriculture, 225,000; total acres 
available for pasture, 900,000; total acres land under ditch, 90,000; 
total acres land cultivated under ditch, 25,000; total acres unoccupied 
available land under ditch with available water, 65,000; total acres of 
unoccupied Government land available for agriculture, 50,000; 
average price of deeded land per acre, with water, I35. The soil 
varies in character, being red, sandy, adobe mixed, and sandy loam. 
The best land being cultivated, the yields are in some instances 
enormously high. Under the difficulty of estimating an average for 
the county, the range of production is reported as follows: Wheat, 
bushels per acre, 25 to 60; oats, 25 to 100; corn, 20 to 50; barley, 20 
to 50; rye, 20 to 50; alfalfa, 4 to 6 tons; clover, 2; timothy, 2 to 3; 
native grasses, i to 2; potatoes, 5 to 15 tons; sugar beets, tons, 20 to 
25. Average ruling prices at nearest markets — Wheat, per 100 
pounds. |r.oo; oats, I1.05; corn, I1.25; barley, $1.00; rye. $1.00; 
alfalfa, per ton, |io; clover, per ton, $15; timothy, per ton, $15; po- 
tatoes (Irish), $1.40 per cwt; sweet, $4 00; sugar beets, per ton, $5.00; 
cabbage, per ton, I30. 

The fruit crop of 1892 is estimated as follows: Apples, bushels, 
2,500; peaches, 6,000; plums, 500; pears, 200; apricots, 100; prunes, 
100; grapes, pounds, 32,000; blackberries, quarts, 1,500; raspberries, 
12,000; gooseberries, 11,000; currants, 3,000; strawberries, 53,000. 

The above figures, given as the total product in fruit represent an 
area of only 800 acres producing. This includes a large proportion 
of the orchards where the trees have just come into bearing, all trees 
being young and none of them having reached more than half their 
capacity. Many thousands of acres have been planted in orchards 
and vineyards representing all kinds of fruits in innumerable 
varieties, and each year in future will mark a large increase in pro- 
duction. It is the superior quality of fruit and the enormous yields 
that have been attained from the young trees that gives to this section 
its deserved notoriety as a fruit producer. The Grand valley peach is 
far superior to the California product, while all varieties of grapes 
grow luxuriously and most prolific, many of the choice California 
varieties growing as superbly as they do in their native climate. In 
fact all the fruits grow to rich perfection in that section. They bring 
the highest prices paid for fruit in the United States, and are con- 
sumed almost entirely in the local markets and surrounding mining 
camps. With greatly increased production a few years hence, aided 
by the fruit-growing counties of the eastern side, the two great fruit 
sections will supply all the State with the best fruit that ever ripened 
on the American continent. It is estimated that 1,500,000 trees have 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 143 

been planted in Grand valley. Over 300 miles of irrigating canals 
have been constructed, with about 50 miles of large ditches in opera- 
tion, while hundreds of farmers have small ditches for from two to 
ten farms each. Average cost of farm labor |20 to $^0 per month and 
board. 

The Denver and Rio Grande, the Little Book CliflF, the Denver 
and Rio Grande Western and the Colorado Midland railways, the lat- 
ter forming a junction with the Denver and Rio Grdnde Western at 
Grand Junction, traverse the county, having an aggregate trackage 
of 204 miles, giving direct communication with Denver and Salt 
Lake City. Tl* live stock interest is especially important in Mesa 
county, as it is throughout Western Colorado. Mesa county is espe- 
cially well adapted to horses, cattle and sheep. Estimated number in 
county: Horses, 4,500; cattle, 30,000; mules, 125; asses, 60; dairy 
cows, 200; sheep, 25,000. Coal mining will in time become an impor- 
tant industry. Two large mines are in operation within twelve miles 
of Grand Junction. Coking coal is abundant, and a start in coke 
manufacture has been made. In addition to the delightful climate, 
everywhere prevalent in this portion of Western Colorado, Mesa 
county possesses two places of health and pleasure resort. Mesa 
lakes, a fine summer resort, altitude 11,000 feet, and Poleu Mineral 
Springs, twelve miles north-east of Grand Junction, on the Little 
Book Cliff railroad. As one of the inducements offered to settlement 
in Mesa county, the conditions of climate are so favorable that the 
farmers plow every month in the year. The country is rich in 
resource. The land is highly productive of all manner of crops, 
labor receives large rewards, and the products of the soil at all times 
command high prices, having ready sale. 

Mineral. 

Among the last acts of the Legislature in March this year (1893), 
was the passage of a bill forming Mineral county. The territory 
embraced in the new county was taken from Hinsdale, Rio Grande 
and Saguache counties. As its name suggests, it is a mining region 
— the very heart of the silvery San Juan. More in keeping with the 
purposes of its creation it might have been named the county of 
Creede, inasmuch as it was formed for the express purpose of embrac- 
ing the new but rich and famous silver mining district and town of 
Creede in order that the residents of that section might enjoy the legal, 
commercial and social advantages possessed by all other populous 
and prosperous communities in Colorado. The new county in the 
beginning of its industrial and social organization embraces little else 
than mountains, mines, mining camps and the magical town of Creede. 
But this is sufficient. It is a mining district of immense riches and 
incalculable possibilities. Creede has in a twelve-month become the 
rival of Leadville as a silver producer and bears the same relation to 
the mining districts of the neiv county as Leadville bears to Lake. 
Creede will in the near future become noted as one of the most pecu- 



144 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Harly attractive and romantic townsites in Colorado, flanked on all 
sides by high mountains whose rugged summits, reaching near the 
drifting clouds, present an ever changeful view, and above all their 
fascinating charms giving the comforting assurance that they contain 
treasure for the maintenance of generations to come. Statistics of 
the mineral production for the past six mouths show that this new 
field of discovery is one of the richest and most promising in the 
vState, and even in its primary stage of development having no 
superior as a producer of wealth. 

Montezuma. 

An area of 2,128 square miles in the south-west corner of Colo- 
rado, adjoining Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, comprises the county 
of Montezuma, a section of the country peculiarly rich in its combi- 
nation of material resource. It is one of the new counties, organized 
in 1S89, and thus far in its development it is chiefly valuable for agri- 
culture, though it contains great riches in coal and iron, building stone, 
timber and the precious metals. The countj', in its general physical 
features, comprises mountains and undulating plains. About 650,000 
acres are tillable, with rich soil, the remaining 763,170 acres being 
mineral, timber and grazing lands. Of this vast territory, only about 
180,000 acres have been taken up. The principal rivers of Montezuma 
county are the San Juan riyer, the Mancos and the Dolores river. 
These streams, with their numerous tributaries, afford an abundant 
water supply to all portions of the county, and the valleys possess a 
deep, rich, alluvial soil, highly productive of the cereals, grasses, 
fruits, melons, and in fact all manner of crops possible in the tem- 
perate zone. The county has the advantage of a southern climate, 
and experiments prove that tobacco-growing could be made profit- 
able. The seasons are especially favorablfe to fruit growing. The 
average elevation of agricultural lands is about 5,000 feet. The 
principal towns are Cortez, the county seat, situated in the geograph- 
ical center, Mancos and Dolores. Total population of county, 2,800. 

Assessed valuation of county, $842,877; real valuation, 12,528,631; 
county debt, $46,000. Rate of taxation, 35 25 mills. 

Total acres available for agriculture, 650,000; available for pasture, 
30,000; total acres under ditch, 150,000; total acres cultivated under 
ditch, 15,000; total acres unoccupied available land under ditch, with, 
available water supply, 50,000; total acres ^nsold State lands availa- 
ble for agriculture, 7,000; average price of land per acre, I2.50. Esti- 
mated average yield per acre for leading products: Wheat, bushels, 
25; oats, bushels, 40; corn, bushels, 45; barley, bushels, 30; rye, bush- 
els, 20; alfalfa, tons, 5; clover, tons, 2; timothy, tons, 2; red top, 
tons, 2; native grasses; tons, i}4', potatoes, tons, 6; estimated value 
of leading products in 1892, 1277,000. The apparently high averages 
per acre are justified in the fact that these farms are selected in rich 
valleys where a much higher production is attained, and with a gene- 
ral cultivation doubtless the high averages will be fully maintained 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. I45 

for the entire county, for this is a section where enormous yields are 
made. For instance, on one ranch near Cortez four acres yielded 
129^ bushels of oats to the acre. Other yields per acre^have run as 
follows: Wheat, 56 bushels; potatoes, 10 tons; watermelons, 80 
pounds, and corn, 50 bushels. In the matter of irrigation considera- 
ble progress has been made, and about 200 miles of irrigating canals 
have been constructed bringing 150,000 acres under ditch and irriga- 
ting 10,000 acres. Average cost of water per acre per season, ^1.50. 
Average cost of labor per month on farm, I30 and board. The county 
offers every advantage of climate and good grazing all the year round 
for the live stock industry. 

Thus far there is no development of consequence in mines, or the 
coal veins, or the quarries, and these resources will remain for the 
population of the future. For pleasure seekers and seekers after the 
curious in archaeology and geology, Montezuma county is an inviting 
field. Here once lived a race of people whose identity is unknown, 
versed in the arts and sciences of their day, who tilled the soil, built 
substantial dwelling places, places of worship and fortifications for 
defense. The relics and ruins of these people are found throughout 
the county. 

Montrose. 

Eleven years ago Montrose county formed a part of the Uncom- 
pahgre Ute Indian reservation. The first permanent white settle- 
ments were made there in 1882, and now it is the scene of farms, 
orchards, cattle ranges, towns, villages and country homes, surrounded 
with all the comforts and conveniences of civilization. It contains an 
area of 1,300 square miles, bounded on the east by Gunnison county, 
on the west by Utah, on the south by San Miguel, and on the north 
by Delta and Mesa counties, becoming one of the three leading fruit 
producing counties of the " Western Slope." About two-fifths of the 
area is rich cultivable land, two-fifths is timbered and also good graz- 
ing land, and about one-fifth is waste; that is it consists of inaccessi- 
ble canons and rocks, the latter embracing large deposits of coal. 
The timber lands are covered with cedar, pinon and yellow pine. The 
agricultural lands are watered by the Uncompahgre and San Miguel 
rivers, flowing north-west and the Gunnison river flowing through 
the eastern portion. The agricultural lands, embracing an area of 
500,000 acres, for the most part, contain broad, beautiful valleys and 
the lower mesas, possessing great richness of soil, of variable charac- 
ter, and highly productive of fruits and all manner of farm products 
and garden vegetables. It is properly classed among the rich fruit 
producers of Western Colorado, yet having its greater adaptation to 
general agriculture and the live-stock industry, wherein the cattle 
range and the wool interests engage a large share of the attention 
and the efforts of the people. The county also possesses large deposits 
of coal, both of the bituminous and anthracite varieties that are yet 
undeveloped. In 1880 there was only one white resident in the 



146 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

county — the Indiaa agent. To-day the population is 4,500, mostly 
engaged in agricultural pursuits. The first attempts at agriculture 
were made with small gardens in 1882. To-day more than 80,000 acres 
are cultivated. The value of improved farm lands have increased from 
nothing in 1882, to an average of $35 per acre. The town site of 
Montrose, the county seat, was established in December, 1881, and the 
city now has a population of 2,000. Assessed valuation of county, 
12,153,693; estimated real valuation, ^6,000,000; county debt, $157,- 
635; rate of taxation, county 19^^ mills. State, 4 mills; number of 
schools, 23; school population, 1,118; number of teachers, 30; aver- 
age wages paid teachers, $56. Total acres of land available for agri- 
culture, 500,000; total acres under ditch, »o,ooo; uncultivated patented 
land, 200,000; acres of unoccupied Government land, 400,000. The 
soil is an admixture of adobe, red cedar and sandy loam. The lead- 
ing products are wheat, oats, alfalfa and fruit, the latter including all 
kinds of fruits that can be grown in the temperate zone, the apple and 
the pear in their many varieties taking precedence because of their 
exceeding fine growth and plentiful production. All field products 
are successfully grown. The estimated average yield per acre is as 
follows: Wheat, bushels, 21; oats, 36; corn, 40; alfalfa, tons, 4; tim- 
othy, 4; potatoes, 4. 

In its abundance of luxurious grass, pure water and the natural 
protection afforded by the hills and valleys, Montrose county oflFers 
many superior advantages to the stock raiser, especially to the cattle- 
man. It is especially well adapted to sheep. The high mesas pro- 
duce an abundance of yellowrstem grasses, with plenty of clear 
spring water, making the most desirable horse range. Horses raised 
on these high grounds develop enormous lung expansion, a:ad great 
endurance. The gramma grass and native red top can not be 
excelled for cattle and sheep. The winters are so short and mild 
that very little feeding is required. Hogs thrive on alfalfa as well as 
corn. The dry climate and absence of dew are very advantageous 
also to poultry raising. Estimated number of live-stock in county: 
Cattle, 45,000; dairy cows, 400; horses, 5,000; mules, 175; asses, 322; 
sheep, 28,000; swine, 1,200. The wool clip for 1892 was 155,000 
pounds. Average price, 15 cents per pound. 

The orchard and vineyard have become the source of home sup- 
ply, and also of a revenue for the surplus, the product being most 
luxurious, and embracing all manner of deciduous and small fruits. 
Cheap coal, ample railway facilities and close proximity to mining 
camps, renders Montrose an eligible position for the smelting busi- 
ness. 

There are no distinctive health resorts, but the City of Montrose 
possesses a mineral well, with bath house connected, that is ex- 
tensively resorted to for the cure of rheumatism and various other 
ills. The water is highly mineralized, and is used both hot and cold. 

For the home-seeker, the climate of Montrose county is most de- 
sirable. The soil is rich and productive, the society is first-class. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 147 

Excellent schools well sustained, good, substantial churches; popula- 
tion increasing, property of all kinds to be had at reasonable prices, 
and a generous welcome extended to all enterprising, progressive 
settlers. 

Morgan. 

This is distinctively an agricultural county, having also great 
advantages for the live-stock industry. In name and geographical 
lines it is only four years old, but in settlement it is one of the oldest 
sections of the State. It was formerly a part of Weld, one of the 
pioneer counties of Colorado. It is located on the South Platte river. 
Fort Morgan, the county seat, being situated in the center, and 78 
miles north-east of Denver. Morgan county embraces ground of his- 
toric interest. Fort Morgan, in the days before white settlement, was 
a stage station, called Camp Tyler, afterward changed to Camp War- 
dell, and in 18S6, christened Fort Morgan in honor of Colonel Chris- 
topher Morgan, Aid-de-Camp U. S. Volunteers. It was a prominent 
trading point on the old stage route to California and Pike's Peak, 
and occupied by U. S. cavalry until 1870. The county was organized 
in 1S89. It forms a perfect square, embracing an area of 1,296 miles, 
and having an elevation of 3,000 feet. The entire county is a level 
prairie, except as it is broken by the valleys of the several streams. 
Its chief water supply is the South Platte river, which brings a large 
area under cultivation by irrigation. The entire area is of fertile soil, 
and offers a field of great opportunity to the future farming popula- 
tion. At present it is in great part the rich domain of the stock 
grower, whose herds of horses, cattle and sheep are scattered over the 
grassy ranges. Since the first settlement the county has changed 
from an exclusively grazing and stock growing county to a first-class 
agricultural county, there being a combination of the two branches. 
In the farming settlements land has increased in average value from 
$S to J25, while town property has increased 75 per cent., all due to 
agricultural development. To the same cause is due the establish- 
ment of all towns and railway stations, the county being crossed by 
the Burlington and Missouri and the Union Pacific railways, which 
follow the fertile valley of the Platte from west to east. The princi- 
pal towns are Fort Morgan, population, 600; Brush, 250; Corona, 100; 
Orchard, 100; Snyder, 50. Assessed valuation of county, ;^i, 300,000; 
estimated real valuation, $3,900,000; no county debt; rate of taxation, 
10 mills. 

The soil is a black, sandy loam. Potatoes form the leading crop, 
but all cereals, grasses and vegetables are successfully grown, with a 
large average yield. Total acres of land available for agriculture, 
420,000; total acres land available for pasture, 406,440; total acres 
land under ditch, 218,960; total acres cultivated under ditch, 74,511; 
total acres of unoccupied available land under ditch, with available 
water, 86,420; total acres unoccupied Government land available for 
agriculture, 108,960; total number acres unsold State land available 



148 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

for agriculture, 34,560. Average price per acre, $5. Total number of 
irrigating canals in county, 12; aggregate length in miles, 186/^; 
average area irrigated under each ditch, one-third; average number of 
acres unoccupied under each ditch, five-eights. 

The number of acres classed as available for agriculture does not 
necessarily imply cultivation exclusively by irrigation. This part of 
the State is visited by frequent seasonable rains, which in a measure 
lessens the requirement for irrigation, and thus far, whenever at- 
tempted, crops have been successfully raised without irrigation. But 
this method of farming has not been extensively adopted, because 
the irrigation facilities are adequate for the greater part of pres.;nt 
population. The country for the most part, lying beyond the reach of 
irrigating canals, is devoted to the live-stock interests, which affords a 
livelihood and considerable revenue to a large proportion of the pop- 
ulation. 

Farms in the valleys have yielded an average per acre, wheat, 
bushels, 28; 6ats, 45; corn, 35; barley, 42; alfalfa, tons, 5. Number 
of cattle in county, 14,074; dairy cows, 600; horses, 2,964; mules, 75; 
sheep, 42,239; swine, 200. 

Fine horse-breeding has been followed quite extensively, and with 
success, by the recent introduction of Percheron, Norman, Clydes- 
dale and Gold Dust horses, and the French Coach. Several com- 
panies have been organized to breed these blooded horses, and they 
are now shipping horses to Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Den- 
ver markets. The county possesses all the advantages for fine and 
fancy cattle, hogs, etc., and the sheep industry is especially profit- 
able. Prevalent breeds of sheep. Merino and Shropshire, and the 
wool is noted as first-grade. Wool clip for 1892, 231,850 pounds; 
price, 16 cents per pound. This being a great alfalfa county, it is 
well adapted to bee culture. Annual product of honey, about 12,500 
pounds. Experiments in small-fruit raising have proved successful. 
The vital statistics of Morgan county abundantly prove the healthful- 
ness of its climate. Mortality, one-half of one per cent, per annum 
since organization. The large amount of unoccupied land under 
ditch, the large area to be developed under proposed new systems of 
canals, and the advantages for stock-raising, offer the best induce- 
ments for the home-seeker and the capitalist. Mills, manufactories, 
tanneries, and all branches of business that go with a first-class agri- 
cultural and stock-raising country are the enterprises most needed. 

Otero. 

Otero county comprises an important part of the rich agricultural 
country in the Arkansas valley, and is one of the most promising 
fields of industry in the State. Otero is one of the new counties 
organized in 1889, and taken from the western portion of Bent, the 
old pioneer range cattle county of the State. Until this division 
occurred, Bent and Pueblo couacies embraced all of the Arkansas 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. « 149 

•valley on the plains, and this section of country was known as the 
great rendezvous of the herds and the herdsmen, and constituted the 
great highway of travel from the land of distant civilization through 
the wilds of border life. Thus until recent date that position of Colo- 
rado was peculiarly associated with the perils of the pioneer pilgrim, 
and has recorded many stories of wild Western adventure. Even 
within the brief period of ten years, all things have been changed. 
Ten years ago this country was the domain of the cattlemen, and the 
possibilities of agriculture were unknown, and though its advantages 
for the live-stock business have been greatly enhanced, it has become 
one of the richest sections of the State for the farm, the garden and 
the orchard. Otero county has an area of 2,376 square miles; eleva- 
tion, 4,200 feet; population, about 7,000. La Junta, the county seat, 
population, 3,500, situated at the junction of the Atchison, Topeka 
and Santa F^'s Colorado and Southern Pacific lines, and Rocky Ford, 
population 1,000. Situated on the Santa Fd main line, are the prin- 
cipal markets for the fine agricultural country surrounding. Other 
towns, Catlin, 100; Fowler, 50; Ordway, 30. The Arkansas river is 
the principal stream, coursing through the central portion and afford- 
ing water for irrigation to large tracts of the most fertile land in the 
State. Other small streams are Tampas creek, Purgatoire and 
Apishapa creeks. Assessed valuation of county, $2,620,295; real val- 
uation, 5,240,590; county debt, $24, 000; rate of taxation, 26 mills. 

Total acreage of land available for agriculture, 528,930; total acres 
available for pasture, 991,710; total acres land under ditch, 528,930; 
total acres unoccupied Government land available for agriculture, 
991,710; total acres unsold State land available for agriculture, 90,000; 
average price per acre, $2.50. 

The soil is a sandy loam, everywhere throughout the valley in 
this as well as other counties in the same stretch of country, deep, 
rich and wonderfully productive. Alfalfa is at present regarded as 
the leading crop, because it is more generally cultivated, but with an 
average yield per acre in all the cereals, which is above that of the 
State, every cereal, root crop or grass are profitably grown, while the 
soil and climate are so perfectly adapted to all kinds of fruits that all 
the available land of the county, and for that matter all the watered 
lands of the Arkansas valley could be converted into orchards and 
vineyards laden with fruits in all their kinds and varieties. Otero 
county, for its part produces with abundant success, corn, wheat, 
oats, rye, alfalfa and the grasses. In fact everything that can be 
grown in the temperate zone can be cultivated in the Arkansas' val- 
ley. At the United States Experimental Station, situated at Rocky 
Ford, both cotton and tobacco have been grown to perfection. 
Throughout the county, but more particularly confined to the valley 
lands, around Rocky Ford and other centers of settlement, the Rocky 
Ford watermelon and canteloupe are products of most wonderful pro- 
lific growth. Throughout the west, and even in the eastern cities, the 
Rocky Ford watermelon has become famous and familiar, and Otero 



150 '^^^ INDUSTRIES AND 

county in this respect occupies the same relation to the West that the 
State of Georgia holds for the fame of the Georgia watermelon in the 
east and south. Its cultivation has become a leading industry and a 
source of large revenue. The average yield of leading products in 
the county are estimated at: Wheat, bushels, per acre, 26; oats, 40; 
corn, 40; alfalfa, tons, 5. 

Otero is also a county of considerable material resource, having 
gypsum, lime, silica, sandstone, limestone and coal, these resources 
as yet having but little development. As a part of the general in- 
dustries, flouring mills, canning factories and creameries have been 
established at La Junta and Rocky Ford, and the dairy business is an 
important feature of the farm. The county oflfers splendid advanta- 
ges for cattle and stock-raising, both for pasture on the range and for 
fine breeding and good keeping on the farm. The county is every- 
where beautiful for a home, while the towns are pleasant places, of a 
thrifty population, and everywhere inviting to the home-seeker. The 
schools are in excellent condition, the churches represent all religious 
denominations. The people are united in their respective labors for 
the upbuilding of the county; the climate is mild and healthful, and 
a choice of all the industries pertaining to a rich agricultural coun- 
try are oflFered to the home seeking immigrant or the capitalist desir- 
ing to invest in industrial enterprises. 

Ouray. 

This is one of the most famous mining counties in the great San 
Juan country, so noted for its riches in gold and silver. Its name was 
bestowed in honor of Chief Ouray, of the Utes, whose removal from 
the State in 1882 left the white settler in possession of the county. It 
is distinctively a mining county, rich in production and rich in pros- 
pect. It was settled by adventurous miners in times when the hostile 
red man reigned supreme, and was organized in 1876, when Colorado 
became a State. From the years of its first settlement by white men, 
its history has been that of steady and substantial development. The 
first discoveries were made in 1875, but the difficulties of access to 
the mines with proper machinery, and the impossibility of transpor- 
tation, except for small quantities of the more valuable ores, for 
many years retarded both the exploration and development of the 
richest properties. 

By the introduction of railways, the best of machinery and a 
number of stamp mills, reduction works and smelters, the mines 
have been made to yield their treasures by the millions and there has 
been an advancement all along the line of general industries. Ouray 
is the county seat, a flourishing town dependent upon the mining 
industry for support The principal streams are the Uncompahgre 
river and Canon, Red Mountain, Bear, Oak and Dallas creeks. Crow 
creek and the Dallas Fork of the Uncompahgre river. All over the 
county there is timber, forests of yellow pine, spruce, balsam and 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 151 

quaking asp. The surface of the county generally is mountainous. 
The general character of the mineral formation is gold and silver 
allied with the baser metals and is found in vertical fissure veins, in 
the rock known locally as trachyte, and is from 3,000 to 4,000 feet in 
thickness. The precious metals are also found in veins which cut 
through the sedimentary and metamorphic rock. The product 
includes gold, silver, lead, copper, iron and zinc, and the districts in 
which mining is done are Snefiels, Poughkeepsie, Red Mountain, 
Paquin, Sentinel, Almadi and Uncompahgre. Whilst mining is the 
chief occupation, some attention is paid to farming and live-stock. 
The soil is a sandy loam, the valleys affording excellent grsizing 
ground. The county's area is only 450 square miles. Population, 
6,Soo, Principal towns, Ouray, 2,900; Ridgway, Soo; Ironton, Soo; 
Red Mountain, 400; Virgiuius, 450. Elevation, 6,8go to 13,500 feet. 
Assessed valuation of county, §1,399,298, or about one-third of the 
real valuation of its property, exclusive of developed mines which 
form the great volume of Ithe county's true wealth. The people 
of the county make very little pretension to agriculture, but there 
are about 26,000 acres of rich agricultural lands lying principally in 
ths Uncompahgre valley, which is settled by ranchmen and produces 
large crops of hay, some small grain and large quantities of vegeta- 
bles. The farms now cultivated under ditch comprise 6,067 acres, 
which leaves about 20,000 acres open for occupation and tillage. The 
valleys possess the advantages of good pasture aud plenty of water 
for the animal industry and cattle raising, though as yet not exten- 
sive, could be made a profitable business. Crops raised on a small 
scale in these valley lands have averaged as follows: Wheat, 30 
bushels per acre; oats, 50; barley, 30; rye, 30; alfalfa, 5 tons; native 
grasses, 2 to 3 tons; potatoes, 200 bushels. 

The total number of live stock in the county is estimated as fol- 
lows: Cattle, 3,177; horses, 1,812; mules, 165; sheep, 1,600; swine, 148. 
The soil and climate have been found to be well adapted to small 
fruits, and experiments with orchard fruits have recently proved suc- 
cessful. In the way of manufacturing and other industries, the City 
of Ouray has one brewery and bottling works, a grist mill, repair 
shops of the Rio Grande Southern Railway, two machine shops, car- 
riage works, two wood working shops, one cabinet shop and several 
blacksmith shops. Among establishments most needed is an iron 
foundry to utilize the native material and furnish wares for home use. 

Mining for the precious metals will always be Ouray's main source 
of wealth. The mountains on every hand are streaked and seamed 
with mineral, and with the progress of more thorough development 
in recent years the large increase in the production of gold gives 
every assurance of great fortune in the yellow metals yet to be dis- 
covered, while in the past two years enormous increases have been 
tnade in the yield of silver. For a period of ten years the mining 
industry had to contend with the most serious difficulties in the matter 
of transportation. But now the Denver aud Rio Grande railway extends 



152 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

from its Salt Lake line to the town of Ouray, the Silverton and Red 
Mountain has been built across the mountains and through the min- 
ing districts to Silverton, and tbe Rio Grande Southern, from Ouray 
to Durango is finished, and thus by three railway lines this great gold 
and silver district of the San Juan region is connected with the rest 
of the world, with outlets to the north and to the south. Ouray now 
has its own concentrators and steam jigs for lead ores, its own lixi- 
viation works for the gray copper and chloride deposits, its own stamp 
mills for gold ores, and owners of low and medium grade properties 
have a market for their production which does not consume the bulk of 
their labor in railway and smelting charges. Since the revival of 
mining development by the advent of the railways, hundreds of new 
discoveries have been made, and there are now not less than 200 
developed mines in the county, a large proportion of them in opera- 
ration. The production of silver, gold, lead and copper by the county 
during the past two years was as follows : 



1891 1892 



Gold. . 
Silver . 
I/Cad . . 
Copi>er 



$ 125 000 $ 287,500 

2,790.000 1,808 7t)0 

1,1.9 000 3/5, OuO 

215,000 l43,7o0 



$ 4,310,000 $ 2,875,000 



The large decrease in production for 1892 is due mainly to the low 
price of silver, and the consequent decrease in mining operations. In 
connection with the mining industry, there are in the county nine 
stamp mills, six concentration and reduction works. Average wages 
paid miners, $3.50 per day. In the above aggregate of the annual 
output of Ouray county mineral, it must be considered that the 
greater part of the total volume comes from a few mines of largest 
development, where in some instances new strikes in the older prop- 
erties contribute the most important part. This is the most encour- 
aging part of the mining history of this section, and promises every- 
thing for the future of the camp. Important among the various at- 
tractions of Ouray county are its fine sanitary conditions. The City 
of Ouray is a popular health resort. There are no less than 100 min- 
eral springs in the county and in Ouray City, hot and cold mineral 
springs of the finest remedial virtues are amply provided with bath 
houses and suitable accommodations for the health or pleasure- 
seekers, while the hotel accommodations are all that could be de- 
sired. In its many resources and attractions, Ouray county has a fu- 
ture of great wealth and prosperity. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. I53 

Park. 

Park county is centrally situated in the high mountains, and is 
surrounded by the counties of Lake, Clear Creek, Chaffee, Fremont, 
El Paso and Jefferson. It possesses an area of 2,144 square miles, all 
of which is mountainous, except 520,000 acres, which comprises 
South Park, one of the links in the great chain of parks in the Rocky 
Mountain system. It is almost exclusively a mining and stock-rais- 
ing county. Its principal mining districts are neighbors to the great 
silver and gold mining regions of Lake and Clear Creek counties, 
though less important in their yield of the precious metals. Three 
hundred thousand acres in the South Park comprise the agricultural 
area. The remainder of the park, together with the hills and valleys 
that border the higher mountains, form a grazing area of 600,000 
acres, thus affording good advantages for the live-stock industry. 
Agriculture is impossible, owing to the altitude, which is from 8,100 
to 14,300 feet, with an average of 9,000 feet above sea level. The 
county is watered by the South Platte, and the north, south and 
jniddle forks of that stream, and a large number of private irrigating 
ditches are constructed through the Park, but only for the purpose of 
making h£>.y from the wild grasses for winter feed to the cattle, sheep 
and other duimals which range the country in large herds through 
the open stjasons, and require feeding through the more severe periods 
of the winter. Beef cattle are slaughtered from the ranges, fat in 
mid-winter. 

The county wa^ organized in 1861, and has a population estimated 
M 4,000. The assessed valuation of Park county is $2,075,292; esti- 
mated real valuation, $4,150,584; county debt, $25,000; rate of taxation 
■county and State, 25 4-30 mills. The principal towns are Como, Fair- 
play and Alma, with mining populations of about 500 each. The 
principal districts of present operations are horseshoe, lead ores, car- 
rying small amount of silver; Mosquito district, rich gold and silver 
mines, also some lead and copper; Mount Bross, both gold and silver, 
and Mount Lincoln, the same. Buckskin district has gold mines that 
have been operated since 1869. About fifty mines are in operation. 
The total estimated value of the output of the mines in dollars for 
gold, silver, copper and lead in 1891, was $716,450. Output in 1892, 
$525,000. The decrease in the output for '92 is attributed to the low 
price of sliver. One large coal mine at King, near Como, and belong- 
ing to the Union Pacific railway, is in operation. The county con- 
tains a great deal of undeveloped wealth outside the kingdom of 
precious minerals. Along Currant Creek are extensive deposits of 
mica. Kaolin is found at Montgomery, and there are beds of abes- 
tos, silica, gypsum and fire-clay. Ihe most extensive quarries of 
lime are near Fairplay. In every Jirev'vlon there are vast quantities 
of building stone, and from the saKttc .veils quantities of salt are 
taken. 



154 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The Colorado Midland, the London and Leadville and the Denver 
and South Park railways pass through the county, with a trackage of 
153 miles. There are many fine resorts in Platte Canon. The Hart- 
zell Hot Springs afford fine attractions, with all accommodations for 
the health and pleasure seeker. For magnificent scenery, fine fish- 
ing and hunting and a climate that is congenial and healthful, South 
Park everywhere receives favorable attention, while for the person 
looking after industrial pursuits, the mining country has not yet been 
half way prospected, and there is an abundance of timber and grazing 
land remaininp: idle awaiting the requirements of future population. 

Phillips. 

This is one of the new counties of North-eastern Colorado, organized 
in 1889, adjoining Kansas on the east and forming one of the tier of 
counties in what is popularly termed the ' 'rain-belt' ' section of the State. 
It is exclusively an agricultural and stock raising county, cattle and 
sheep predominating. It has an area of 672 square miles and an ele- 
vation of 3,500 feet. It is admirably situated and is throughout a 
beautiful level prairie. It is without living streams and its water sup- 
ply is obtained from wells and the seasonable rain-fall, from which 
latter source the depressions and the " dry creek " beds retain ample 
water for all stock. All the cereals, grasses, vegetables and melons 
are successfully raised, and the sheep and wool industry is important, 
particularly on account of the wide range of good pasturage. Popu- 
lation, 3,500; county seat, Holyoke; population, 1,000. Assessed 
valuation, $809,000; real valuation, 12,400,000; county debt, 25,000; 
rate of taxation, ^% mills; total acres land available for agriculture, 
416,000; total acres available for pasture, 14,080; total acres of unoc- 
cupied Goverement land available for agriculture, 4,600; total acres 
unsold. State lands, available for agriculture, 19,000; average price 
per acre, $7. Estimated profit per acre per season on wheat, |ro; oats, 
$9; corn, I6.50; rye, $15; barley, |i2; potatoes, Irish, $30. The esti- 
mated annual wool-clip of the county is 20,000 pounds, principally 
from the Merino sheep, bringing in the market an average price of 20 
cents per pound. While the number of animals of all kinds is com- 
paratively small, the advantages offer an opening for extensive enter- 
prise in connection with the general live-stock business. In farming, 
wheat is the leading product and the most successful. The soil of 
Phillips county is a rich sandy loam, having a depth of five feet. With 
deep ploughing, it is claimed that it becomes retentive of moisture 
under the influence of the underflow throughout the arid region, as 
well as from the rains, although the season at times become exceed- 
ingly dry. Corn especially thrives under these conditions. The soil 
of Phillips county, like that of all North-eastern Colorado, and simi- 
lar in most respects to that of Western Nebraska, is well adapted to 
the culture of the sugar beet, and a beet-sugar manufactory is one of 
the future probabilities of that section. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 155 

A branch of the Burlington and Missouri railway runs centrally 
through the county, giving convenient transportation for the products 
of the farm. The various settlements in the county, with their 
numerous schools aud churches, show a healthy social condition, and 
as the results of the past two year's farming has fully sustained every 
enterprise. 

Pitkin. 

This is one of the richest mining counties of the State. It lies on 
the western slope of the main Continental range, adjoining Lake 
county on the west, with an area of 900 square miles, and a popula- 
tion af 12,000. The City of Aspen, the county seat, with a population 
of 8,000, is the great mining center of the county, bearing the same 
relation to Pitkin county that Leadville bears to Lake. The great 
mines of the county, and among them some of the richest and most 
famous producers in the State, immediately surround the city, and 
from these mines come the enormous masses of silver that entitle it 
to rank as second only to Leadville in mineral riches. The greater 
portion of the county is mountainous, with an abundance of timber, 
and the valleys are amply watered by four principal streams and their 
numerous tributaries, 250,000 acres of valley lands being available 
for agriculture and grazing, with a sufficient water supply to irrigate 
all arable areas. Owing to the altitude of the valleys, which aver- 
age 7,500 feet, no great efifort has been made in agriculture. Very 
little grain is grown, and the principal products are hay, potatoes and 
garden vegetables, the hay that is cultivated, together with the rich 
grazing of the valleys, being ample to keep the cattle and other live- 
stock of the county. Total acres of land available for agriculture, 
20,000; for grazing, 230,000; acres cultivated under ditch, 9,000; acres 
unoccupied under ditch, with available water, 7,500; unoccupied pub- 
lic lands, 5,000 acres. The average production per acre for hay and 
other crops is as follows: Alfalfa, tons, 5; clover, 3; timothy, 3; red 
top, 3; native grasses, 2; potatoes, (Irish), 6; turnips, 12; cabbage, I2- 
Number of cattle in county, 30,000; horses, 1,650; asses, 350; dairy 
cows, 700; sheep, 200; swine, 350. 

Some varieties of small fruits, particularly blackberries, raspber- 
ries, gooseberries, currants and strawberries grow in great profusion, 
and can be raised at enormous profit. But Pitkin county embraces a 
great combination of miscellaneous industries and resources. The 
coal industry is one of the most important in Pitkin county. There 
are numerous large deposits of coal, and there are fine bituminous 
mines in operation, furnishing coal and coke for Aspen aud other 
markets outside the county. Output of county for 1891, 150,000 tons; 
for 1892, 165,750. Average price per ton, $3.50; average cost for min- 
ing, 90 cents; number of men employed in coal mines, 250; average 
price paid miners per day, ^3. In the southern portion of the county 
is one of the largest bodies of iron in the western country, without 
development. Great bodies of peach-blow sandstone exist in the 



156 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

western portion. This is regarded as the choicest building stone in 
the world. There are also large marble beds of the white, black and 
mottled varieties. The social and religious aspects of the county are 
most favorable. There are thirteen public schools in the county, 
while the City of Aspen has nine churches, i Catholic, 2 Methodist, 
I I/Utheran, 2 Epicopal, 2 Presbyterian and 2 Swedish. The City of 
Aspen is reached from the outside world by the Denver and Rio 
Grande and the Colorado Midland railways. These lines affoid 
ample transportation to the people, and the products of their 
industry. 

So great is the mineral wealth of Pitkin county, that all other in- 
terests are secondary and subordinate to the mining industry, and the 
county needs nothing more for her permanent prosperity. The as- 
sessed valuation is $4,000,000, while the real valuation is estimated at 
$18,000,000. Up to 1881, the greater part of the county was a part of 
the Ute Indian reservation. In the fall of 1879, the great "lead " 
was discovered that has made this country rich, and in 1880 there was 
started the mining camp of Aspen. Pitkin county was organized 
May 27, 1881, and its progress has been one succession of surprises. 
For the first seven years of Aspen's existence, its inaccessibility pre- 
vented the rush which is usual with new mining camps. The early 
miners experienced all the difficulties incident to the industry in 
isolated mountain regions, when dependent upon jack trains and 
teams for transportation. There was therefore no very startling reve- 
lations by development until 1887, when two lines of railway reached 
the camp. The value of the output for that year was 12,358,000. 
This gave a stimulus to the industry; the mining population in- 
creased, new discoveries were made, new machinery and increased 
forces were placed in the older mines, and operations began on the 
new ones, rich strikes were made, mineral was found in plenty 
throughout the county, new districts were formed, and Aspen soon 
sprang from a mining town to a city of handsome proportions. In 
18S8 the production of silver in Aspen reached the splendid sum of 
$5,229,860, and has largely increased each year to the present, the 
output for 1892 being reported at $8,162,293. 

The situation of Pitkin county, with reference to the mineral for- 
mation, is one of the advantages so great that there is no possibility 
of computing the extent of mineral treasure. Its eastern boundary is 
the summit of the Continental Divide, and in and near the summit 
of these mountains are numerous rich and valuable gold leads that 
are gradually being opened up, and in time will bring enormous 
riches to the county. About fifteen miles west of this summit lies 
the point where the archean rock upheaves the silurian deposits, and 
in those magnesian lines that lie between the quartzite and the lower 
carboniferous shales, or blue lime, are found the richest deposits of 
silver ore in the country. This line of contact, or lode, extends in a 
north-east direction across the whole county, a distance of about 
forty miles. While its apparent richest point is in or about Aspen,. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



157 



development shows that, to a great extent, it is all mineralized. At 
first it was supposed that the richest mines were all on Aspen Moun- 
tain. But soon, however, Smuggler Mountain began to produce, and 
is now producing rich ore as far north as Woody creek (about eight 
miles), and good mines are being discovered all along this wonderful 
lode for a distance of twelve miles to the south. Since the great 
camp of Aspen began to produce, there has been mined from this one 
great lead the enormous amount of $40,000,000, and the entire pro- 
duct of the county forms a large proportion of the entire product of 
the State in mineral wealth. 

Besides rich producing mines that are credited to the Aspen dis- 
trict proper, there are the mines of Maroon Creek district, the fissure 
veins in Conundrum gulch and about Ashcroft, the rich leads of Lin- 
coln gulch, the valuable gold deposits of Independence, the copper 
ore beds on Snow Mass, and the undiveloped section on Rock Creek, 
and many other sections of new discovery. The following record of 
the value of output of the Aspen mines is a wonderful showing in 
view of the fact that its real substantial development did not begin 
until five years ago: 



1884 .. . 

1885 .. . 

1886 . . 

1887 .. . 

1888 . . . 

1889 . . . 

1890 . . . 

1891 .. . 

1892 . . . 

Totals 



10.000 
12,. ^00 
13,000 
26,800 
90,170 
129,750 
147,800 
129,053 
182,468 



1,4?0,000 
1,62.'), 000 
1,.')30,000 
2, 358, 000 
5,229,860 
7,2.')9,00O 
7,0!m,24O 
7,320,000 
8,162,293 



724.621 



S 41,702,593 



Average wages paid miners $3.50 per day. 
mining, estimated at $12,000,000. 



Capital navested in 



In connection with the mining industry there is one large smelter, 
three reduction works and three stamp mills at Aspen, employing 
about 200 men. There are hundreds of mines in the county yet 
awaiting development, which, it may reasonably be expected, will 
yield as richly as any that have been developed. The great area has 
been only partially prospected and thousands of acres are open to 
location by prospectors. As in the case of Leadville the richer strikes 
which have occurred of late years in the older mines by extended 
development have been the greatest contributions to Pitkin county's 
wealth. 

In addition to its wealth it has the advantages of splendid climate 
and fine mineral springs, and the delightful City of Aspen becomes 
one of nature's health resorts in all seasons of the year. 



X58 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Prowers. 

One of the important factors in the transformation of the Arkan- 
sas valley from a sterile waste to a land of homes and towns, of fields, 
of orchards and gardens, is Prowers county, situated in the eastern 
extremity of the valley, adjoining the State of Kansas. It is one of 
the several counties taken from Bent, formerly the great cattle range 
of south-eastern Colorado, and has wonderful advantages of soil for 
agriculture and stock raising, which become the chief industries of 
the people. The first agricultural settlements were made about 
twenty years ago, but there was little farming for general crops until 
after the county organization in 1889. It is within the area designa- 
ted as the "rain belt," and crops of grain and hay have from the first 
been raised there without irrigation. But the true era of agriculture 
dawned when large extensions of irrigating canals were made down 
the Arkansas, reaching into and through Prowers county within the 
past three years. Large irrigating canals have been constructed in 
the richest portions of the valley, covering wide tracts of land that 
now produce richly in wheat, oats, corn, alfalfa, in fact all the cereals, 
grasses, root crops and the fruits of tree and vine. Other irrigating 
ditches are projected or under construction, and the future of the 
county will be that of great agricultural development, wherein the 
orchard and the vineyard will be an important part, inasmuch as all 
the Arkansas valley in Colorado is splendidly adapted to to fruit 
culture. 

For the past five years Prowers county has been making rapid 
strides along the highway of agricultural progress. Much of her once 
unattractive prairie land has been converted into far reaching ranches 
of alfalfa and grain, and this has been the result of irrigation. In 
no other portion of the State has more been accomplished in so short 
a time, toward a large, thorough and eflficient system of irrigation as 
in Prowers county. The truth of this statement will be made more 
apparent by the following figures, which are illustrative of the gene- 
ral advancement of agriculture in the Arkansas valley. The greatest 
portion of the work has been accomplished within the last two or 
three years. 

The La Junta and Lamar canal is 1 14 miles long, is 30 feet across 
at the head and covers hundreds of thousands of acres of now most 
valuable land. The Colorado and Kansas, when completed, will be 
155 miles long, reaching into western Kansas, and covers 100,000 acres. 
This was the fourth ditch built in the valley and was the first of any 
great size. 

The Bed Rock is a mutual ditch, is eleven miles long and covers 
4,000 acres of fine bottom land. The Amity canal waters the land 
north of Lamar. It is now sixty-seven miles long and will, when 
completed, reach the State line — a distance of eighty miles from the 
head-gate. It now covers 1 108,000 acres, a great portion of which ii 
improved land. The cost of construction of this ditch was |2oo,ooo. 



REvSOURCES OF COLORADO. 159 

The Prowetc County Land and Irrigation Company is the successor 
of a company from whom they bought several ditches for 1 101,000. 
Their main ditch is fifty-three miles long and capable of irrigating 
30,000 acres. 

Among the private ditches are the Hyde, eight miles long and 
irrigating 8,000 acres; the Manvel, fourteen miles in length and cov- 
ering 15,000 acres; the Graham, having 10,000 acres under it and 
being twelve miles in length; the BufiFalo, irrigating 12,000 acres, 
with a length of fifteen miles; the Susan ditch, six miles in length 
and covering 1,000 acres; and the X. Y. ditch, twelve miles long and 
irrigating 9,000 acres. These canals serve as a fair illustration of the 
extensive advancement made not in Prowers county alone but through- 
out all the counties of the Arkansas valley. 

Prowers county has an area of 1,658 square miles, an elevation of 
3,500 feet, and an estimated population of 2,200. The county seat is 
Lamar, with a population of about 700. Other towns are Granada, 
Holly, Mulvane, Carlton and Manvel, mostly situated on the line of 
the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F^ railway, which runs through the 
county east and west. 

Assessed valuation of Prowers county, Si, 291, 365; estimated real 
valuation, 13,500,000. The county has 22 public schools and several 
churches, principally of the Methodist and Christian denominations. 
The larger portion of the county consists of grazing lands, all of it 
being cultivable, and there are about 200,000 acres available to irriga- 
tion, a large portion of it being now under ditch, the present system 
of ditches aggregating over 200 miles in length. lu 1892, there were 
about 20,000 acres planted in grain alone, and the average yield was 
stated at 30 bushels for wheat, oats 50, rye 25, corn 45, alfalfa 5 tons. 
The price of land ranges from I5 to $2$ per acre. The perpetual water 
rights for 80 acres sell in this county at |i.ooo, and the water assess- 
ment is 15 cents per acre. 

With an unlimited range, a mild climate and fine grass through- 
out the year, the county possesses every advantage for the live-stock 
industry. Estimated number of cattle in county, 25,000 head; horses, 
2,000; sheep, 15,000. 

Among the industries of the towns is one of the largest flour mills 
in the State, located at Lamar, which is one of the requirements of 
the growing agricultural interests. It has a capacity of 400 barrels 
of flour per day. A number of small manufactories have sprung up 
within the past year incident to agricultural development which 
increased the assessed valuation on such property from $20 in 1891 to 
$480 in 1892. In all departments of industry the strength of the 
county lies in the great resource of its fertile soil, with a vast area of 
land awaiting tillage at the hand of the new population that is stead- 
ily moving westward in quest of settlement and home. 



160 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Pueblo. 

The county of Pueblo possesses great wealth of material resource, 
and it is rich in its agricultural and live-stock interests, but its greater 
prosperity is due to the magical growth of the City of Pueblo, which 
has, within the past ten years, developed from a commercial town of 
4,000 inhabitants to a splendid metropolis, both of commerce and 
manufacture, with a population of 40,000. No county in the State 
furnishes a more pertinent illustration of the rapid and substantial 
ratio of increase in wealth, population and industrial development, 
and in all these the county and city are second only to Denver and 
Arapahoe county. 

Pueblo county, lying at the foot of the mountains in the Arkansas 
valley, is a ground of historic fame, and the present site of Pueblo 
City was a rendezvous of the Indians, Mexicans, and the trading 
American adventurers before Colorado was a territory. Much of its 
crudities remained until after the I^eadville discoveries in 1878. But 
now all things have changed, and a swift transformation has estab- 
lished the perfect order of a high civilization. The county contains 
about 2,700 square miles, with an average elevation of 5,200 feet, its 
lowest altitude in the valleys being 4,400 feet. In physical features it 
comprises foot-hills, valleys, mesas and level plains. It is watered by 
the Arkansas river, which flows centrally through, and its tributaries, 
the Fontaine Quibouille, Huerfano and St. Charles, which aflFord 
water for irrigation. Both mesas and valleys are fertile, and the soils 
vary at different parts between a sandy loam, black loam, clay, de- 
composed shale and alluvial wash from the mountains. All these 
lands are highly productive, wherever water can be applied, and the 
leading products in their order are wheat, corn, oats, barley, rye, 
alfalfa, beans, peas and every variety of vegetables, and nearly all 
kinds of fruit. The county also contains a large area of grazing 
land, finely adapted to live-stock, which is one of the prominent 
interests. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture 217,000 

Acres available for pasture 415,800 

Total acres under ditch 43,116 

Total acres unoccupied Government land available for ag^ri- 

culture . . 42,000 

Total acres available State land 32,000 

Estimated average yield per acre in leading crops: 

Wheat, bushels 30 

OaU, •' 45 

Corn, " 60 

Barley, " 80 

Rye, " 30 

Alfalfa, tons 5 

Clover, " 3 

Timothy, " 8 

Millet, " 3 

Hungarian Grass, tons 3 

Potatoes, bushels 150 

Vegetables and small fruits yield enormously. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. \C)l 

Estimated yield of leading crops in 1892 : 

Wheat, bushels v • • • 59. S-"^ 

Oats ,' . . . 87.000 

Corn 5P 900 

Barley 6,W) 

Rye 2,6«7 

Alfalfa, tons 9,987 

Clover 2,Wi 

Timothy 2,387 

The possibilities of fruit growing are limited only to the area culti- 
■vated. The product is of high quality. Following is the crop of 
1892 from 268 acres in bearing: Apples, bushels, 5,000; peaches, 330; 
plums, 1,604; pears, 405; grapes, tons; 25; blackberries, quarts, 2,300; 
raspberries, quarts, 2,000; gooseberries, 7,100; currants, 6,250; straw- 
berries, 119,875; cherries, 2,350. Bee culture has great advantage in 
the variety of plants and flowers, wild and cultivated. Number of 
hives, 587; product of honey, pounds, 30,087. Number of cattle in 
county as reported by assessor, 23,807; dairy cows, 4,367; horses, 
6,375 mules, 500; asses, 150; sheep, 6,500; swine, 950. The wool 
clip in 1892 was 30,080 pounds. Dairies, 3; cheese factories, i. But- 
ter manufactured in 1892, 12,900 pounds. Assessed valuation of 
Pueblo county, $18,800,000, or a real valuation approximating $60,- 
000,000, with a county debt of $488,000, the larger proportion of this 
for public improvements. Educationally, Pueblo county stands in 
favorable contrast with the schools of the Eastern States. There is a 
school census of 7,730, attending 64 public and 5 private schools. 
Value of school property, public, $447,646; private, $120,750; total, 
1568,396. 

THE CITY OF PUEBLO. 

The advantages of Pueblo county have been shown in brief, and 
many points of value have been omitted. The City of Pueblo, as a 
center of wealth, population and industry, claims the greater share 
of attention. Like all large cities having an important combination 
of industries, the suburban environments become the points of the 
greater productive operations. Pueblo is conveniently accredited 
with every and all industries. In the abstract, this is proper, but the 
suburban city of Bessemer has 6,000 inhabitants; Overton, 1,500, 
These towns contain the larger manufacturing establishments, give 
more employment and yield a larger proportion of wealth to the peo- 
ple. Practically this trinity of towns unite in making the City of 
Pueblo, with 40,000 inhabitants, and a great combination of industrial 
interests. This is the view that must now be taken of Pueblo, look- 
ing to its great future. 

"Where the coal meets the iron great cities are built Pueblo is 
so situated and will be a great city." This is a prediction of ten years 
ago, which is verified to-day. It is already a manufacturing center 
of the Rocky Mountain region. It is one of the largest distributing 
points in the State. Situated as she is within easy reach of great iron 
deposits, and with her numerous furnaces, she will continue to sup- 



X(32 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

ply the markets of the West with railroad and all manner of mer- 
chant iron and steel, while from her mineral wealth, with her smelters 
and her shops, she is furnishing the world her quota of silver and 
gold, and the implements of use from copper, lead and zinc, all these 
the products of native ores. The iron and steel products are from the 
Colorado Coal and Iron company, the only establishment of the kind 
in the State, employing 2,000 men and millions of capital. Other 
leading industries are: The Philadelphia Smelting company, the 
Pueblo Smelting and Refining company, the Colorado Smelting Com- 
pany, the Massachusetts Smelting and Refining company, three 
sampling works, Lannon's Iron Foundry, Pueblo Pressed Brick com- 
pany, machine shops, fire brick company, harness manufactory, 
broom factories, harness and saddle, Rocky Mountain Oil company, 
and a large number of smaller establishments, altogether giving 
employment to more than 10,000 people. The assessed value on man- 
ufactures is $7,220,000, representing a true value of $14,000,000. The 
annual value of manufactured products is estimated at 124,000,000; 
value of raw material consumed, 14,500,000. The markets for the 
manufactured articles are the railroads and mining camps in the State, 
the adjoining States and Territories and points in other States, from 
New York to San Francisco. The assessed valuation of merchandise 
is 11,926,000, representing a true valuation of $10,000,000. Pueblo is 
second only to Denver as a great railway center and distributing 
point for all manner of trafiic. The railways concentrating in the 
city and connecting it with all parts of the world are the Denver and 
Rio Grande, Missouri Pacific, Union Pacific, Atchison, Topeka and 
Santa F^, and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, all these roads 
having a combined trackage of 309 miles in the county. The city is 
compactly built in its business centers, with a prevalence of large 
blocks of brick and stone. It is elegantly equipped with hotels and 
places of amusement, and it has rapid transit throughout its urban 
and suburban thoroughfares. The city is picturesque in its environ- 
ments of hills and mesas, which have become the sites of the most 
delightful homes, while miles of level plane have become populated 
within the recent years of the city's magnificent growth. In all 
respects Pueblo is most favorably situated, having a tributary resource 
of wealth from the mines and the farms of Central Colorado and the 
great Arkansas valley, that assures its industrial permanency and will 
surely make it one of the great cities of the West. 

Rio Blanco. 

Rio Blanco, or the county of the White river, is located in the 
north-western part of the State and is bounded by Utah Territory on 
the west, Routt county on the north and east, and Garfield county 
on the south. Meeker is the county seat and is located near the site 
of the Indian battle ground where Thornburg and his command were 
surrounded and massacred during the Meeker outbreak. Meeker, 
after whom the town was naaed, was the unfortunate agent at the 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO 163 

reservation when the uprising occurred. He was killed and his fam- 
ily carried into captivity. A monument was erected on the site of the 
battle ground as a commemoration of the event and as a tribute of the 
United States Government to the gallant service of the troops. It was in 
this county also where occured the more recent trouble with the Utes 
under Colorow, and where the State militia gave effective aid in driving 
forever from that section of the country the roving bands who every 
summer terrorized the settlers along the White river. To-day the pop- 
ulation of the county is 1,195, of which Meeker has 300. The county 
is well watered by the White river and its tributaries. There are for- 
ests of white pine, white and red spruce and fir, of which the table 
lands of the eastern part are covered. The soil is a gravelly loam. 
Farming and stock-raising are the chief industries, and from the 
prosperity of the people these industries thrive. But its greater riches 
for the future lie in its wonderful material resources, which as yet are 
undeveloped. In April, 1S89, Ris Blanco county was organized from 
the northern part of Garfield county. At that time the valuation was 
$803,020; this year it is estimated at $2,000,000; the debt is $41,000 in 
bonds. There are seven public schools, a school census of 250, and 
a valuation of $13,000 in school property. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture, 150,000, two-thirds 
of which require long ditches; acreage for grazing, 2,000 square miles; 
acres of land under ditch, 25,000; unoccupied public land, 100,000 
acres; under cultivation, 20,000 acres. There are two saw-mills in 
operation; also some mining prospects of a low silver grade ore; also 
iron and beds of bituminous coal in the g^eat Hogback. Of 
the latter there is some development, four mines being in operation to 
supply the local market. The veins run from 3 to 30 feet In this 
county are also found beds of bistre mineral paiut, a fire-clay of good 
quality, immense deposits of gypsum and lime. A fine quality of 
sandstone of the yellow, mottled and gray varieties are also found. 

The county has immense wealth in coal and iron. The coal veins, 
consisting of about twenty in number, ranging from three to thirty 
feet in thinkness, traverse the entire width of the county, and the 
workable veins are found always in the Laramie sandstone, or past 
cretaceous. Nine of the veins thus far discovered range in thickness 
from 7 to 25 feet, all of which contain good, merchantable coal, and 
some of the veins have coal of a superior grade. In these coal 
measures there is a 7 foot vein of cannel coal of exceptional quality. 
There is also a 6 foot vein of cokiug coal. Asphaltum has been 
found, and petroleum exudes from the sand ledges south of White 
river. The heads of the north and south forks of White river are 
known to contain a great amount of silver-bearing lead ores, which 
will in time add to Colorado's output. Sandstone of excellent qual- 
ity for building exist in many shades and colors, and in enormous 
-deposits. 

Rio Blanco county has a great future for agriculture. It is esti- 
mated that 230 square miles is arable land. About 60,000 acres have 



164 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

already been located, to irrigate which 880 miles of canals and ditches 
have been constructed. There still remain 90,000 acres of irrigable 
land to be located, the most of which can be irrigated by large 
canals. As yet, agriculture is not extensive, only the richer valley 
lands being cultivated. The crops are abundant, the usual average 
per acre being, of wheat, 30 bushels, oats 50 bushels, and potatoes, 
240 bushels. 

Under present conditions, the live-stock industry is the interest 
representing the greatest amount of wealth. No country in the 
world possesses greater advantages for live-stock than the sheltered 
hills and grassy valleys of Rio Blanco county. Besides the advan- 
tages of a rich summer range throughout the county, the enormous 
yields of alfalfa and other hays aflFord ample feed for winter, enab- 
ling the herdsmen to keep his horses, cattle and sheep in good condi- 
tion throughout the year. The number of cattle in the county is 
estimated at 50,000 head; horses, S.cso; sheep, 10,000. The annual 
wool clip is about 40,000 pounds. 

Fruit culture has scarcely passed the stage of experiment, but it 
has been proven that most of the fruits more successful in Mesa 
county can be grown in portions of Rio Blanco, while all kinds of 
wild berries grow in great abundance upon every hill-side in the mid- 
dle and western portion. The forests contain a wealth of useful tim- 
bers, and abound in elk, deer, mountain sheep and the smaller game. 
The county contains numerous fine lakes and streams, swarming 
with fish, and affording the most delightful places of health and 
pleasure resort. 

Rio Grande. 

The county of Rio Grande is situated in the southern part of Col- 
orado, and in the central and western portions of the great San Luis 
valley. It is watered by the famous Rio Grande river and its tribu- 
taries, and possesses immense resource of wealth in agriculture, min- 
ing and stock-raising. It embraces mining camps that are noted for 
their riches in the precious metals. The county contains an area of 
1,260 square miles. The western portion of the county is mountain- 
ous, and largely covered with forests of useful timbers, which become 
the source of a large lumber supply. The eastern portion, about one- 
third the county, lies in the valley, with level surface, a soil of rich, 
sandy loam, easy to irrigate, and comprising one of the richest bodies 
of agricultural land in the State, the larger portion being unculti- 
vated, becoming a vast range of superior grazing land for the flocks 
and herds. Thus the live-stock industry of Rio Grande county 
becomes one of great importance, combining with it the dairy and 
wool interests, which are of increasing profit to the farmer and the 
stockman. 

The county was organized in 1874. The first settlers were stock- 
men, and believed the country good for nothing else. Then a few 
acres were cultivated along the river bottoms, mostly for garden stuff. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 1(55 

Then soon it was discovered that grain grew well and matured. 
Finally the large canals, which make San L,uis valley so famous for 
its superior irrigation facilities, were constructed, and the country has 
proved one of the best agricultural sections of the State, notwith- 
standing the altitude is 7,500 feet. There are now over 800 irrigating 
canals and ditches in the county, having an aggregate length of 500 
miles, and irrigating 150,000 acres. It is in this valley that crops of 
oats have attained the highest growth, and entire fields of wheat and 
oats have reached the highest average and the greatest maximum 
yields for the State. 

Rio Grande county has a population of 4,800. Del Norte, with a 
population of 1,000. is the county seat; Monte Vista, 1,200. The 
remainder of the popul ation is distributed among the farms and 
mining camps. 

Assessed valuation ot county fl,7SO,143 

Real valuation 3,3t)0,000 

County debt 130,812 

Rate of taxation, county, 25 mills; State, 4 2-5 mills. 

Total acres of land available for agriculture 191,960 

Acres land under ditch 150,000 

Acres cultivated under ditch 77,000 

Total acres unoccupied land underditch with available water 73,000 
Total acres unsold State lands available for agriculture . . . 35,500 
Average price for land, with water, |15 per acre. 

The leading products of the soil are wheat and oats. Crops most 
successfully grown, wheat, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, potatoes, 
turnips, field peas, sugar beets, cabbage, alfalfa, clover and all grasses, 
small fruits and garden vegetables. The average yield per acre in the 
leading products are above that of the State, and, owing to the preva- 
lence of exceptionally large production on many farms, the range is 
reported approximately as follows: Wheat, bushels per acre, 25 to 
50; oats, 40 to So; barley, 40 to 60; rye, 40 to 60; alfalfa, 4 to 5 tons; 
timothy, i to 2 tons; red top, i>^ to 2>^ tons; potatoes, Irish, 6 to 9 
tons; turnips, 20 tons. Monte Vista and Del Norte are the principal 
markets, and the products are consumed in the county. All the towns 
in the valley have increased from villages to their present importance, 
by reason of agricultural development, with a steady increase in pop- 
alation, and value of property to the present. 

The Denver and Rio Grande railroad passes through the center of 
the agricultural region, reaching the mining camp, with a trackage 
of 56 miles. Water rental, $1.10 per acre per season. Average cost 
of farm labor, $25 to $30 per month, estimated profit per season per 
acre on wheat, $15; barley, I15; Irish potatoes, Jioo; alfalfa, $25; 
timothy, $15; native grasses, $10. The following statistics of live- 
stock do not show the true extent of its importance. All the uncul- 
tivated portion of the county comprises a vast range of fine grazing, 
while the hay products afford the most nutritious feed. There is 
therefore room and sustenance for great multiplication of the herds. 
Number of cattle, 18,000; dairy cows, 1,200; horses, 4,000; mules, 
168; asses, 52; sheep, 30,000; swine, 700. In addition to the advant- 
tages enumerated, the climate, altitude, etc., have splendid adapta- 



\QQ THE INDUSTRIES AND 

tion for breeding fine blooded horses, while the mountains, valleys 
and plains, aflford every means for the promotion of the cattle and 
sheep industry. It is also a favorable country for hcgs and poultry, 
the hog fattening as well upon alfalfa as upon corn. The wool-clip 
for 1892, was 120,000 pounds, the sheep being a cross between the 
Mexican and Merino, and the wool commanding an average price of 
16 cents per pound. A combined creamery and cheese factory started 
last summer (1892), shows that such an establishment can be made 
greatly profitable. One of the chief advantages is in the abundance 
of water by artesian wells, at 47 to 50 degrees, no ice being needed at 
any time of the year. The principal manufactories of the county 
consist of one foundry, one flour mill, at Monte Vista; one brewery 
and one concentrator at Del Norte. Capital invested, about $75, 000. 
Gold, silver, lead and iron are mined. Thirty mines are in operation, 
and there are 425 patented claims, including 550 acres of patented 
placer ground. Some very important finds of gold have been made, 
and recent discoveries give promise of rich rewards in future opera- 
tions. Coal has been discovered in the south-west corner, but as yet 
undeveloped. One iron mine was opened in the fall of '92, and the 
property is operated for shipment of ore to the foundries at Pueblo. 
Fine qualities of pink and gray lava and gray sandstone exist in vari- 
ous parts, and four quarries are in operation. There are also unde- 
veloped beds of mineral paint, kaolin, fire-clay and lime. 

Owing to the delightful climate and charming surroundings all the 
towns and settlements are classed as health resorts, while the Shaw 
mineral springs (warm) and the hot springs at Wagon Wheel Gap, are 
established resorts for the health and pleasure seeker. The latter 
place is historic and famous, and is one of the popular resorts of the 
West for the health and pleasure seeker. The advantages of climate 
in Rio Grande county and throughout San Luis valley are many. There 
are no extremely severe winter storms or blizzards. Land under irrigat- 
ing canals, w^ich are completed and in successful operation is still 
cheap, while the settler has the superior benefit of having the canals 
completed and in successful operation when he locates. Opportunities 
for investment of capital in many enterprises are offered, and among 
present needs are such as a potato starch factory, beet sugar factory 
concentration and reduction works, to meet the demands of increas- 
ing output from the mines. The soil is especially well adapted to the 
growth of the sugar beet. The yield is very large and the per cent, 
of sacharine very high — 15 to 17 per cent. Rio Grande as well as all 
the counties of the great San Luis valley will before many years be 
filled with an industrious and thrifty population. 

Routt. 

In the diversity and vastness of its resources, and in the many 
advantages of varied industry, Routt county offers one of the richest 
fields in the State for development. It only awaits the advent of the 
railway to overcome the rugged environments of mountain barriers. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 1(37 

when it will become famous in the world for its many attractions. 
Similar in its general phj-sical features to other mountain counties it 
surpasses all in the variety of charming scenes. The Park Range of 
the Continental Divide is the eastern boundary; upon the west lies 
Utah; upon the north, Wyoming, and Rio Blanco and Eagle counties 
on the south. A journey from any portion of the State over the 
ranges into Routt county may be likened to sudden transportation to 
a strange country in an unknown part of the world. The county 
takes its name from the Hon. John L. Routt, twice Governor of the 
State, his last term expiring in '93. Its area is 4,500 square miles, 
being in form 90 x 50 miles, occupying the north-west corner of the 
State. Middle Park occupies a large area in the eastern end of the 
county, and the remainder of its territory comprises hills and valleys, 
forests and streams. In some portions the forests are densely tim- 
bered, covering vast tracts of country, and alive with elk and deer, 
and the smaller game. Many broad, fertile valleys intervene and 
stretch out through the county to its western limits. A multitude of 
springs, forming creeks in the eastern part and increasing in volume 
to rivers in the center, empty into the Yampa (Bear) river in its out- 
ward flow to the west. These streams flowing north and south into 
the main river water numerous valleys that are everywhere rich in soil 
and productive of all the cereals and grasses. Considerable farm 
development has been made during late years, and wheat, oats, rye, 
barley and potatoes are grown with great success. The soil yields 
enormously, and notwithstanding the sparse settlement, the crops 
have become so important in the Yampa valley as to require the 
establishment of two flouring mills, the product of which contributes 
largely to the maintenance of the population. The leading industry 
of the people thus far developed is that of stock raising, and for this 
business the county throughout offers extraordinary advantages. 
The product of greatest volume and value, therefore, is hay for winter 
feeding. These splendid valleys, so amply watered, so rich in wild 
grass and so well sheltered by the surrounding hills, offer every pos- 
sible advantage to the live-stock industry, and the herds of horses, 
cattle and sheep are large and numerous. The cattle business is espe- 
cially large and profitable, while a number of the leading stock farms 
in the State have been established in this county, and the breeding 
of blooded and thoroughbred horses has become a large branch of 
the business. According to the assessor's report for 1892, the live- 
stock statistics are as follows: 

Horses 10.874 

Cattle f?'VJi 

Sheep 20.470 

Mulei 7* 

Asses 20 

Swine '■^ 

Assessed valuation. $624,979. 

Routt county was organized in 1887. Three years later its popula- 
tion was only 140. The poptulatiou, according to the census of 1890, 
was 2,369. It possesses room and resource for the population of a 



168 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

State. Steamboat Springs is the county seat, and the second town in 
importance is Hahn's Peak, a few miles to the north, which is the 
center of a placer mining district, yielding considerable wealth in 
gold. 

The assessed valuation of the county is $1,148,797; estimated real 
valuation, $3,446,401. 

In addition to its splendid advantages of agriculture and stock- 
raising, there is enormous wealth in its combination of material re- 
source. There are undeveloped discoveries of silver and lead. Coal 
is found in immeasurable quantities, the field extending from Steam- 
boat Springs westward to the State line. A few miles west of Steam- 
boat Springs a great body of bituminous coal is found in veins from six 
inches to twelve feet wide, while nearby great deposits of anthracite are 
known to exist. Large bodies of the strongest, most compact white 
sandstone are found in the Yampa valley, and great bodies of onyx, 
that cannot be excelled in the world for beauty and purity, are found 
in various places. Iron of high manufactural grade is found in 
immense bodies in many parts, and indications of oil are to be seen 
throughout the county. 

The people are now anticipating the early construction of a short 
line Pacific railway from Denver to Utah, through Routt county, 
which will overcome all obstacles to industrial development, and 
make this one of the richest, most populous counties in the State. 
One of the chief attractions, as well as one of the great sources of 
•wealth in the future of Routt county, will be in its great number and 
variety of mineral springs, hot and cold. There are no less than 100 
of these springs, immediately surrounding the town of Steamboat 
Springs, and these waters became the chief attraction to the early 
settlers at this place. These springs are divided into a dozen distinct 
groups. Analyses prove their waters to be of the highest medicinal 
value in healing many diseases, and renewing exhausted vitality. In 
these various groups, the temperatures vary from 40° to 150°, each 
spring diflfering in some respects in their chemical combination, in 
some instances being entirely distinct. The most important of these 
are two hot springs of highest temperature, the one being 103°, and 
the other 150°, so hot that it will quickly cook an egg. These 
springs represent the highest type of Vichy waters. The former 
yields 250, and the latter, 400 to 500 gallons per minute. The spring 
that is destined to become of greatest use and benefit, is called the 
Bubbling spring. It forms a natural bathing pool, audits waters are 
highly charged with sulphur, soda, magnesia and iron, and are in a 
constant state of commotion, owing to an immense pressure of car- 
bonic acid gas. The temperature is 75 degrees. Its chief virtue, so 
far as tested, is in the healing of rheumatism, and many a victim who 
has tried it testify that this spring is a certain and speedy cure. 

The people of Routt county are confidently awaiting the advent 
of the railway, and when that day dawns there will be some of the 
most startling revelations in the history of Western development. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. |g9 

Saguache. 
The fanning, stock-raising and mining county of Saguache is 45 
by 80 miles in extent. Rio Grande and Costilla counties bound it on 
the south, Hinsdale and Gunnison on the west, Gunnison and Chaf- 
fee on the north, and Huerfano, Custer and Fremont on the east In 
this area there are 3,936 square miles. In the valleys the elevation 
is 7,500 feet, in the mountains the altitude is 9,000 feet. The face 
of the county is diversified. Thickly timbered are the mountains 
and fringing the streams are areas of forest land. The soil is a sandy 
loam principally. Saguache county has a population of 3,291, and 
the principal towns are Saguache, the county seat, Bonanza and Villa 
Grove. The act creating the county was passed January', 1867, and in 
Jane following its officers were appointed. The territory was taken 
from Costilla county and the Ute language was drawn upon for a 
proper name signifying "blue earth." At this time the assessed 
valuation was about ^37,500, and the rate of taxation did not exceed 
one per cent. The existing county debt is $80,000, and the assessed 
valuation is $2,093,043, or an actual valuation estimated at |;6,ooo,ooo. 
The estimated school census of Saguache county is 960, with 27 
schools and a property valuation of |i5,ooo. The Methodist, Pres- 
byterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, Catholic and Union have flourish- 
ing congregations. Agriculturally Saguache county has quite a 
future. There are 200,000 acres of land available for irrigation; and of 
this amount 20,000 acres unoccupied Government land. There are 
about 3,900 acres of unsold State land also available for agriculture. 
There are eight saw-mills with an annual output in lumber of 2,000,- 
000 feet Mining, however, is the principal industry. In the districts 
of Kerber, Crestone and Biedell there are some excellent prospects, 
especially in Biedell and Crestone, where are found the gold ores. 
The output is chiefly silver. Discoveries were made in Crestone and 
Oriental districts in 1874, Biedell district in 1882 and in Kerber dis- 
trict in 1880. As near as can be ascertained the output is |i50,ooo, as 
may be comprehended the mining work is still confined to prospects 
which generally show encouraging improvements as depth is gained. 
The extension of the Denver and Rio Grande railroad from Villa 
Grove to Alamosa has furnished much needed population and stimu- 
lated work in this direction, especially among the low grade ores. 
Coal has been found on Kerber Creek. The lands that have been 
entered and developed have shown fair prospects. There are four 
iron mines with an annual output of 20,000 tons. The character of 
the ore is hematite and the bodies from which it is extracted are said 
to be among the largest in the State. In addition to these 
sources there are quantities of lime and plenty of good building 
stone, generallj' of a pink variety. Gas has also been found in an 
abundance in the valley, and the general supposition is that oil also 
exists. For irrigation there are about 60 miles of main canal exclu- 
sive of laterals and small ditches. Artesian wells which are driven at 
fl depth of from 150 to 400 feet also furnish an inexhaustible supply of 



270 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

-water. These, too, are used for irrigating purposes. The discovery 
of so many resources in this county has stimulated railroad building 
and the D. and R. G. R. R. has entered in various directions, 
Saguache county, in addition to the advantages already enumerated, 
claims a ranking place among the resorts of the State. Near Cres- 
tone are the Valley View Springs; five miles south-east of Villa 
Grove are the Chamberlin Springs; within an half a mile are the 
O'Neil Springs, and twenty-eight miles south of Saguache are the 
Shaw Springs, all of which are eminently good for medicinal purpo- 
ses. It is in this county where the live-stock industry flourishes. 
There are 3,400 domestic cattle, and over 24,000 head of range cattle; 
horses, 5,000 head; sheep, 17,000, with a clip of 60,000 pounds. The vari- 
eties of wool grown are fine, medium and coarse, for which the prices run 
14 to 17 cents per pound. This year there is a large acreage of cereals 
with an active demand and a strong market for all grain and hay 
raised. The hardy varieties of fruit grow well, but horticulture is 
yet in its experimental stage. Water for irrigation costs |i.4oper acre 
per season, rental, and the perpetual water-right for 80 acres is con- 
sidered to be worth $400; upon this the assessment per acre per season, 
is 25 cents. So abundant, however, is the artesian flow that wells are 
being driven upon most of the farms. Some ranchmen have irriga- 
ted as much as 30 acres of grain land, and others as much as 80 acres 
of grass land from these wells, which vary from two to four inches in 
diameter. 

San Juan. 

This is the central county of the great mining country of south- 
western Colorado, famous in the world as the "Silvery San Juan." 
It is one of the smallest counties in the State, having an area of 500 
square miles, and one of the richest in silver an £ gold. An estimate, 
or a surmise, concerning the great, immeasurable and unfathomable 
treasure concealed within the stony vaults of the stupendous moun- 
tains would be impossible. The metallic seams and stripes that fret 
the mountains give the impression that every rock and cliff is loaded 
with precious minerals. It was organized in 1876, and is exclusively 
a mining county. It is bounded on the east by Hinsdale, on the west 
by Ouray, San Miguel and Dolores, and on the south by La Plata 
counties, all forming a part of what was originally known as the San 
Juan silver region in the days of early territorial settlement, when 
only the mountain ranges, the peaks and streams divided and desig- 
nated sections. The region now embraced by San Juan was known 
as the heart of this country. It is a land of grotesque configuration. 
The Sierra Madre rises to a lofty height on the eastern side, the La 
Plata mountains lie on the west. Between these two ranges lies the 
valley of the Animas river, in which is situated the town of Silver- 
ton, the county seat and mining headquarters of all the surrounding 
camps. The peak of King Solomon stands to the north-east. Red 
mountain rises in the north, and Engineer mountain and the Sultain 



RESOfc'RCES OF COLORADO. 171 

rear their majestic heads in the south-east. The whole aspect of the 
county presents a scene unexcelled in picturesque grandeur. The 
Denver and Rio Grande railway extends from the south to the north, 
tracing the Las Animas river to its source near Animas Forks, giving 
an outlet southward to the world, while the Silverton and Red Moun- 
tain railway, one of the greatest examples of engineering skill, 
crosses Red Mountain, connecting Silverton with Ouray, and thence 
northward with all the railway systems of the State. There is plenty 
of water from the Animas and numerous smaller streams that rush 
down from the mountain sides. The valleys thus fertilized are richly 
productive of grass, affording abundant pasture for the cattle and 
horses which comprise a considerable part of the property of the 
settlers. 

The total population of San Juan county is 2,500, embraced almost 
exclusively in the mining towns and camps. Silverton, 1,500; How- 
ardsville, 100; Eureka, 125; Mineral Point, 100; Chattanooga, loa 
The elevation of the county is from 9,200 to 12,000 feet. The hill- 
sides are covered with timber. 

Assessed valuation | 982 703 

Estimated real valuation 3.000,000 

Rate of taxation, fctate and county, 51 4-30. 

The county has one public school, in Silverton, with a school pop- 
ulation of 240. Value of school property, $15,000; three teachers, 
wages, I90 per month. Churches, one Catholic, oue Congregational. 
The people come from all parts of the United States and Europe, and 
their employment other than that of mercantile pursuit is almost 
exclusively that of mining. However, in Silverton there are: one 
brewery, one electric light plant, two saw-mills, nine stamp mills, 
eight concentration and reduction works. The future of the county 
depends entirely upon the development of the great silver-bearing 
fissure veins that seam every mountain within this vast area of min- 
eral wealth, but until of recent years the development has been slow 
for lack of transportation facilities. But since the building of rail- 
ways and the establishment of smelters and reduction works at 
Durango in La Plata county adjoining, the refractory and low grade 
ores have been treated together with the ores of higher value, and 
the entire mining community is now in the midst of an era of pro- 
gress and prosperity, such as it has never enjoyed before. 

The Uncompahgre, Animas, Eureka and Red Mountain districts, 
contain the principal mining camps, with about forty-five developed 
mines, while patented mines and rich prospects may be numbered by 
the hundreds. The general character of ore mined are free gold ores, 
lead ores, gold and silver bearing, copper and iron, the silver ores 
predominating. As is the case in other rich mining sections of the 
State, the great strength of the county lies in its enormous reserve of 
treasure, which will require for its development the labor and genius 
of man for centuries to come. There is no section of the State that 



172 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

oflFers a greater field for labor in the mining industry. No section has 
more positive assurance of permanency and growing prosperity; none 
that can surpass it in the number, size and extent of its silver-bearing 
fissure veins. 

San Miguel. 

This is one of the most prominent mining counties in the State, 
rich in its present development and great in the prospect of its undis- 
covered wealth. It belongs to the silvery San Juan region, and its 
mountains comprise a land of silver and gold, awaiting only the com- 
bined forces of adequate labor and capital to prove its wealth in the 
shining metal. In point of development, San Miguel county has 
been, until recently, a distinctively mining county, and in this lies its 
greatest source of wealth, but its largest area, extending westward 
from the mining region to the Utah line, comprises vast tracts of val- 
ley and mesa lands, possessing a fertile soil, and affording fine graz- 
ing for stock. In late years, many of these vallej'S have been settled by 
a farming people, and the lands cultivated with success. Great atten- 
tion has been paid to live-stock, and cattle -raising is an important in- 
dustry in that section. From this source comes the greater part of 
the fresh meats and dairy products used in the mining camps of the 
county. 

San Miguel was organized in 18S3, being formerly a part of Ouray 
county, and takes its name from the San Miguel river, the stream of 
gorgeous scenery so famous, which flows through the entire county 
from east to west. Situated in the south-western portion of the 
State, its eastern half is embraced in the great San Juan mineral belt. 
It is bounded on the east and north by San Juan, Ouray and Mont- 
rose counties, on the south by Dolores county, and on the west by 
Utah. The county seat is Telluride. Its area is 1,600 square miles; 
its elevation, 5,ooo to 13,000 feet. The mountains are covered with 
forests of pine, pinon and quakingasp. The valley lands are well- 
watered by the numerous streams that flow through the county. The 
population of the connty is 2,908. Telluride, with a population of 
1,200, is the principal town; San Miguel, 100; Pandora, 100; Ophir, 
250; Ames, 75; Placerville, 100. The people are from the Eastern 
States, mainly, many of them Cornish miners, of industrious, frugal 
habits, and little disposed to wild speculation, with great faith in the 
richness of this mining district. Ofl&cial figures place the valuation 
of the county at $1,398,221, as against I16.841 in 1883. 

The social and moral education of the community is good. It has 
five public schools. The county has a future of fine promise in agri- 
culture, having over 500,000 acres available land, rich in soil and with 
plenty of water, besides 100,000 acres of good grazing land. Ten 
thousand acres are now under ditch and cultivated, producing a fine 
average yield of the grains and vegetables. The average yield of 
wheat is placed at 30 bushels per acre. There are three saw-mills, 
and the present output in lumber is 3,000,006 feet per year. In the 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. I73 

xaining industry lies the greatest source of wealth for this county. 
The character of the mineral formations is silver, gold and lead, in 
fissure veins. There are also a number of very promising placer 
fields along the streams. The principal mining districts are the 
Upper San Miguel, Lower San Miguel, Trout Lakes and Iron Springs. 
The first discoveries were made in 1876. The estimated output for 
the entire county this year (1890) is $2,500,000 in gold and silver. 
The gold fields of San Miguel are developing fabulously rich veins, 
and mainly on this account a three- fold increase of output is expected 
during the coming year. The mineral resources in that section are 
said to be inexhaustible, and in their infancy of development. The 
same might be said of their discovery, for new strikes of rich bodies 
of mineral are of almost daily occurrence. It is a vast and promis- 
ing field for the prospector. With the railroad facilities given by the 
completion last year of the Rio Grande Southern, vast bodies of low- 
grade ores will now find a market, and the production will greatly 
increase. No county has had to contend against greater obstacles in 
developing the mines and conveying the more profitable ores to 
market. Now these obstacles are removed, and a great increase may 
be expected. The climate is mild and healthful, the scenery is de- 
lightful and of peculiar interest, and Trout Lakes, at an elevation 
of 12,000 feet, is a charming place of resort for the health and 
pleasure seeker. 

Sedgwick. 

The county of Sedgwick, named in honor of Gen. Sedgwick, occu- 
pies the north-east corner of the State, bounded on the north and east 
by Nebraska. It is an agricultural and stock-raising county. The 
larger part lies beyond the reach of irrigation, being in the "rain- 
belt" area, where crops are grown without irrigation. The Platte 
river, however, courses through the north-west quarter affording irri- 
gation for the valley lands, which are very fertile and highly pro- 
ductive. The area of the county is 576 square miles; population^ 
1,500. The county was organized in 1889. Julesburg, situated at the 
junction of the Union Pacific main line and the Union Pacific Short 
Line, is the county seat, with a population of 800, mostly from 
Nebraska and Iowa. The soil is a rich sandy loam, with a gently 
undulating surface, productive of all crops. Wheat and corn are the 
leading crops, and the soil is said to be eminently suitable for the 
culture of the sugar beet, being similar to the sugar beet lands of 
Nebraska. The assessed valuation of Sedgwick county is |759.945; 
estimated real valuation, $1,800,000. The county has twenty-four 
public schools, and the church organizations are Congregational, 
Presbyterian, Methodist, Catholic and Evangelical. The lands are 
divided by estimate as follows: 

Total acres available for ajfriculture 300,000 

Available for ^razing . . 08,000 

Unoccupied Oovernnient land available for agrrlculture . . 4ri,000 

School laii 1 12.900 



174 "^HE INDUSTRIES AND 

The total acreage cultivated, irrigated and non-irrigated, 50,<xx) 
The average yield per acre in various crops is stated at : Wheat, 20 bush- 
els per acre: oats, 45; rye, 17; barley, 15; corn, 40. With a vast open 
range, ample provision for winter feeding and convenience of railway 
transportation, the county possesses everj' advantage for live-stock and 
cattle raising especially as a thriving industry, the dairy products being 
a considerable part of the profits. The combination of agriculture 
and the live-stock business, gives the assurance of permanency and 
prosperity to the people with whom the first few years of settlement 
could have been but little more than an experiment, in view of the 
doubts and disputations that then existed concerning the possibility 
of farming in Eastern Colorado without the aid of irrigation. Out of 
this confusion has come great industrial thrift, the stability and pro- 
gress of all enterprises and a good order of society. 



Suminit. 

Situated on the Western Slope at an altitude of 9,000 feet, the area 

of 650 square miles, which constitutes Summit county, forms the cone 
of the Continent. As the name implies, it is the Summit county of 
the range. Grand county bounds it on the north. Lake county on 
the south, Clear Creek and Park counties on the east, and Eagle 
county on the west. This is distinctively a mining county. The first 
settlement was made by gold miners in 1859. It is principally moun- 
tainous, with the valley of the Blue river in the center, where a little 
agriculture is carried on upon the ranches. The county was organ- 
ized in i860, with Breckenridge as the county seat, the town being 
important as the principal mining camp of the county for the pro- 
duction of silver and gold. The Breckenridge district has long been 
a steady gold producer, and this and other camps are rich in prospect 
for the yellow metal. Total population of county, 3,000; Brecken- 
ridge, 2,000; Kokomo, 400; Robinson, 100; Dillon, 200; Montezuma, 
150; Rathbun, 150. 

The mountains are covered with an abundance of pine. The 
streams are the Blue river. Snake river and Ten Mile creek. Assessed 
valuation, $i,o(5o,ooo; real valuation, 12,500,000. There are eight 
schools and three churches, Catholic, Episcopal and Methodist, in 
the county. Most all of the accessible valley lands have been taken 
as homesteads, and the people living on the ranches raise such pro- 
ducts as hay, potatoes, cabbage, turnips, hardy vegetables and a 
small amount of oats. 

Summit has maintained its position as a substantial mining county 
since its more extensive settlement in 1880, with considerable advance- 
ment in discovery and development, and maintaining also a fair pro- 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 175 

portion in the general average of output For 1891 and '92 the 
output was: 







1891 


1892 


Gold 


$ 125.000 
1,825,000 


S 12s .000 


Silver 


1,125 OUO 


Lead ... .... 


400,000 









Number of smelters in county, i; stamp mills, 13; concentrating 
and reduction works, 17; number of men employed in smelters, 60; 
in stamp mills, 40; concentration and reduction works, 75; average 
wages paid miners, I3. The whole county is divided into mineral 
districts, and while the county is especially noted for its production 
of gold, the principal metals are gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc, 
and the number of developed mines are very numerous, with many 
prospects that will add greatly to the future mineral wealth of the 
State. In addition to mining there are a number of industries which 
add a great deal of revenue to the county. Lumber mills are located 
at Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon and Montezuma; a number of char- 
coal kilns are located at Frisco, and there are numerous lime beds in 
the county. White and variegated marbles are found in numerous 
parts of the county. 

The climate is healthful, with plenty of good water. Soda Springs 
near Dillon and other parts of the county, and Iron Springs near 
Montezuma and near Breckenridge, and there are good accommada- 
tions at the mining towns for the health and pleasure seeker. 

Washington. 

The county of Washington, one of the thriving north-eastern 
counties of the State, was formed in 1S87, from the eastern portion of 
Weld, the banner wheat and potato producer of Colorado. It is exclu- 
sively an agricultural and stock-growing county, having special advan- 
tages for sheep, and promises a large contribution to the future wool 
industry of Colorado. The county has an area of i.oSo square miles, 
and is a rich, rolling upland prairie. It is one of the pioneer counties 
in what is known as the "rain-belt" area, there being but littla water 
for irrigation. About 25,000 acres of its Territory in the north- 
western portion, are accessible to ditch; the remainder is dependent 
upon rain-fall for farming, and crops of all small grain, hay and vege- 
tables, have been successively raised for a number of years. The 
Burlington and Missouri railway runs centrally through the county, 
and it was the first and chief factor in settling the country, and devel- 
oping its agricultural interests. The town of Akron, which began its 
existence as a division station on this railway, is the principal town 
and county seat, with a population of about 1,200, the census of 1S90 
giving the county credit for 2,301. Since that time large numbers of 
new agricultural settlements have been made and the population has 



176 I'HE INDUSTRIES AND 

been considerably increased as the growth of the towns in forming 
settlements will show. Otis, with 300, and Hyde, with 200 inhabit- 
ants, are the other principal towns of the county. 

The assessed valuation of Washington county in 1892, was $915,- 
048, representing a real valuation approximating 12,500,000. Num- 
ber of acres of agricultural lands assessed, 12,207; number of acres 
of grazing lands assessed, 214,618. These figures, however, do 
not represent either the agricultural or grazing areas. Of the 
half million acres or more in the county, not less than two-thirds- 
are'available either as pasture lands or agricultural, and have proved 
highly productive wherever cultivated. The combination of agricul- 
ture and stock-raising is the chief source of the county's wealth. 
The principal crops are wheat, oats, hay, potatoes and vegetables of 
all descriptions. The farms thus far have been located within con- 
venient range of the railway, principally in the central and western 
portion, where it has been demonstrated the rain-fall is seasonable, 
and with deep ploughing, the soil being retentive of moisture, yields 
an average per acre of wheat, 20 bushels; oats, 30; potatoes, 150 to 
200. The assessor's report for 1892, gives the live-stock statistics as 
follows: Cattle, 4,478; horses, 1,289; sheep, 6,263, but as is custom- 
ary, these figures represent only about two-thirds the real numbers. 
With an abundance of good pasturage and the provision that can now 
be made for feeding from the farm the advantages for live-stock are 
almost without limit, and the country is especially favorable to sheep 
wherever winter shelter can be provided. The soil is covered with a. 
medium growth of buffalo grass, with hills extending along the 
southern border of the county. Among these hills are valleys, in 
which large quantities of grass are cut each year, and they afford 
excellent pasturage for stock. 

The amount of unoccupied Government land available for agri- 
culture is estimated at 300,000 acres; unsold State lands available for 
agriculture, 16,000 acres. These lands are easily obtainable for set- 
tlement at the Government price of I1.25 per acre, and from $2.50 to 
$5.00 for State lands, while deeded lands can be obtained at exceed- 
ingly low prices and on the easiest terms, in the midst of settled 
agricultural districts. 

The county is well provided with schools and churches, the Meth- 
odist, Presbyterian, Christian and Catholic organizations being rep- 
resented, principally at Akron, which is the principal market and 
shipping point, and also the industrial headquarters of the county. 
In the adjacent country there is a variety of material of manufacture 
which will be utilized with profit in due time. A number of well-de- 
fined discoveries of fire-clay, limestone, plaster of paris and cement- 
rock have been made, and the quality of brick manufactured is with- 
out a superior for hardness and durability. 

In common with the rest of the State, Washington county is 
underlaid with a great supply of wholesome water, easily accessible. 
The roads are natural roads the year round, hard, dry, free from. mud. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 177 

and dust alike. So pure and healthful is the atmosphere, that the 
climate is proving a panacea for those afflicted with rheumatism, or 
with throat and lung diseases, or the various forms of catarrh. 
Medicines are quickly discarded, and the suSerer regains health and 
strength. 

Accessions to the county's wealth and population are being 
steadily made year after year, and it will always be a substantial agri- 
cultural and stock-raising country, with convenient markets for all 
manner of produce. 

Weld. 

Weld county is the best wheat and potatoe county in the State, has 
the best and surest water supply, is settled by people from the best 
portions of the United States, has a fine climate and is in every way 
a desirable place for a home. These are the inducements the people 
of that favored locality present to the new comer. The county has 
been noted because of its conspicuous association with the history of 
western settlement, and it was while under the fostering care of the 
renowned Horace Greeley that the Greeley colony in 1S70 made a 
settlement in Weld county and gave to that community a local capi- 
tal, and to Colorado the prosperous city of Greeley. In his mind's 
eye Mr. Greeley beheld this section when he penned his oft repeated 
admonition to the eastern young men to "go west and grow up with 
the country." Weld county formerly embraced all the territory now 
comprising seven counties in the north-east part of the State. Its 
territory has been gradually reduced till its boundaries are circum- 
scribed by the county lines of Boulder and Larimer on the west, 
Arapahoe on the south, Morgan and Logan counties on the east and 
the new State of Wyoming on the north. The county takes it name 
from Louis Landgard Weld, the first Territorial secretary, and was 
organized in 1863. It has an area of 4, 104 square miles and has a 
population of 11,741. The first assessed valuation was $240,000; last 
valuation, 18,214,195; real valuation of $25,000,000. There is no debt 
and the treasury shows a surplus. Greeley, the principal city, has 
4,000 population; Platteville, 500; Eaton, 100; Windsor, 250; Evans, 
250; Lupton, 250; and Erie, 1,000. Farming, stock raising, mining 
and manufacturing are the industries pursued. The county is well 
watered by the South Platte, Cache la Poudre, Big and Little Thompson , 
St. Vrain, Boulder, Box Elder and Lone Tree rivers. There are no natu- 
ral forests, but along the valleys through which these rivers flow there 
are quantities of native timber. The soil is a rich sandy loam, well 
watered by a thorough system of irrigating canals and yields all kinds 
of farm products. The county has 98 public schools with a school 
population of 3,450; value of school property, $123,126; number of 
teachers 98. In addition, the City of Greeley has the State Normal 
School and the Greeley Business College. The churches— Congre- 
gational, 4; Methodist, 4; Baptist, 3; Presbyterian, 2; Adventist, 2; 
Unitarian i; Church of Christ, i. 



178 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

Weld county has great facility for agriculture. It is estimated 
that there are 2,000,000 acres of cultivable land, which embraces the 
larger part of the county. Of this area there are 600,000 acres classed 
as grazing land which, with ample water, would be agricultural. 
Over 200,000 acres are under ditch; more than 100,000 acres are irri- 
gated, and there are 60,000 acres under ditch and unoccupied. The 
estimated yield of principal crops for 1892 was, wheat; 1,000,000 bush- 
els; potatoes, 2,000,000, bushels; alfalfa, 26,525 tons. 

Average yield per acre, leading crops for 1S92: 

Wheat, bushels 25 

Oats, " 35 

Corn, '• 30 

Bar'ey, " 35 

Alfalfa, tons 5 

Clover, " ... 3 

Timothy, " 2 

Red Top, " 2 

Potatoes, " 5 

Beets, stock, tons . . 10 

, Live-stock statistics as reported by assessor of the county: 

Cattle 27,910 

Horses 1,817 

Mules 67 

Sneep 50.700 

Swine 2,6*0 

The wool clip for 1892 is estimated at 80,000 pounds. 
The county has three dairies. Dairy products, 1891-1892: 

1891 I 1892 

Butter, pounds 

Butter, va.ue ... 

Cheese, pounds 

Cheese, vaiue 




There is a great abundance of coal in Weld county, the mining of 
which gives employment and sustenance to 2,500 people. The first 
discoveries were made in 1865, and there are now fourteen mines in 
operation with an annual output of about 50,000 tons. At Erie, in 
the south-western part of the county are the largest coal bodies yet 
developed, and these are inexhaustible. Building stone of fine qual- 
ity is also found in abundance. 

The railroads of the county are the Burlington and Colorado, the 
Colorado and Wyoming, Denver, Utah and Pacific, Denver Pacific, 
Denver and Boulder Valley, aggregating 237 miles. Weld county 
claims no health resorts, but is situated in an altitude beneficial to 
all. The average death rate is 2^ per cent. Greeley, especially is a 
desirable abode, having an abundance of shade and pure water. The 
city has a number of manufactories, such as irrigating pump works, 
machine shops, pickling establishments, flouring mills, tile works, 
brick yards, door and sash factories, planing mills and other import- 
ant establishments. Eaton also has a large flouring mill. Bee cul- 
ture is an important industry, and last year the estimated amount of 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 179 

honey produced was 60,000 pounds. The total acreage in grain this 
year is estimated at 250,000; fruit, 600 acres; and the estimated value 
of product of market garden last year was |2oo,ooo. Small fruits 
were also abundant. The bulk of this product was sold in the mar- 
kets of Wyoming, Utah, Montana, Denver and the mining towns. 
The average cost of water by rental per acre per season is $1.50; a Per- 
petual water right for eighty acres is worth $1,200, with an assessment 
oi 12% cents per acre. The crops of 1892 fairly illustrates the great 
fertility of soil in Weld county. Alfalfa is one of the leading 
crops in volume and value, and the last year's yield was enormous. 
Besides these all manner of field crops were raised, and in all crops 
there is a large annual surplus for the markets. 



Yuma. 

Yuma is another of the tier of eastern Colorado counties, situated 
in the north-east part, and in many respects will bear a description 
similar to other parts of the non-irrigated section devoted exclusively 
to farming and stock-raising. Having an area of 1,260 square miles, 
the west half is level, and the east half rolling prairie. It was organ- 
ized in 1889, and now has a population of 3,500. The principal 
towns are Yuma, the county seat, with a population of 600, and 
Wray, 400. Climate, mild; elevation, 3,600 feet. 

As the settlements are all new, and only limited, advancement in 
general industries has been made, as a consequence the efforts of the 
people have been directed mainly to the establishment and mainte- 
nance of their homestead entries, meanwhile making a good begin- 
ning in stock-raising, wool-growing, the dairy interests, etc., and as a 
result of increased farming operations, quite a considerable surplus 
of wheat, corn and hay was raised in the county in 1892. 

The people who have established the county and its industries 
after a number of years of experiment, under the necessity of de- 
pendence upon rain-fall for the success of their crops, are gratified 
with present results, and have a growing confidence in the future 
agricultural possibilities of that part of eastern Colorado. 

A fair crop was raised the first year. The second year was with- 
out increase, owing to the drouth; the crop was doubled in 189 1, and 
nearly doubled again in 1892. The rate of advancement, while not 
very rapid, has been steady, and of a healthful nature, the first-com- 
ers generally remaining. Actual settlement began in 1889. In 1890 
the population of the county was 2,600; in 1891, about 3,000, and 
3,500 in 1892. In 1889 all land except the seggregated acres of State 
lands, were Government possessions at $1.25 per acre. Lands now 
under private ownership range from $5 to |2o per acre. 

The amount of land in the county available for agriculture or for 
grazing is estimated at 806,400 acres; total acres cultivated,45.ooo; total 
acres of unoccupied Government land subject to entry. 100,000; toUl 



130 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

number of acres of unsold State land available for agriculture in 
county, 44,800, Average price for deeded land, $6 per acre. The soil 
is a dark, rich, sandy loam. 

Estimated average yields per acre: 

Wheat, bushels 20' 

Corn, '" 24 

Rye, " 18 

Alfalfa, tons 4 

Millet, " . 2^ 

Flax, bushels 18 

Sorghum, tons 3 

Potatoes, " . ; 5 

Beets, Sugar, tons 3>4 

Oats, bushels ^ 49 

Barley, " 35 

Buckwheat, bushels 16 

Timothy, tons 114 

Hungarian Grass, tons 2,'/i 

Sugar Cane, tons 3 

Broom Corn ^/i 

Beets, stock, tons 8 ^ 

Turnips, bushels 250 

Markets for surplus products, Denver, Omaha and Chicago, via 
Burlington, Missouri railway, which passes through county. 

Estimated total products of county in 1S92: Wheat, bushels, 172,- 
380; oats, bushels, 87,762; corn, bushels, 431,862; barley, 12,378; rye, 
6,500; buckwheat, 2,109; alfalfa, tons, 800; native grasses, 4,765; 
millet, tons, 6,874; sugar cane, tons, 4,173; sorghum, gallons, 3,240; 
broom corn, tons, 245; beans, cwt, 532; potatoes, cwt., 30,125. Aver- 
age cost of labor per month on farm per hand, $20 and board: 
Assessed valuation of county, J^r, 250,000; real valuation, $2,500,000; 
county debt, $13,700; State tax, 4J4 mills; county tax, 15 mills; school 
tax, 5 mills; number of schools, 37; school population, 700; value of 
school property, $20,ooo;3number of teachers employed, 41; average 
wages paid teachers per month $45. Church organizations — Catholic, 
2; Presbyterians, 4; Methodist, 4; Lutheran, 3; Baptist, i. 

Yuma county was originally a part of the great cattle^range of 
Colorado, but both the territory and the number of animals have been 
greatly contracted owing to farming settlement, the live-stock indus- 
try becoming a part of the farm itself. But it has great possibility 
under this cojtnbination. Estimated number in county: Cattle, 6,000; 
horses, 2,000; mules, 125; dairy cows, 2,000; sheep, 3,200; swine, 2,000. 
Though these numbers are comparatively small, the possibilities of 
the wool and dairy interests are great, while the number of swine 
given is significant in view of increased possibilities of corn culture. 
Estimated annual wool crop, 20,000 pounds; prevailing breed of sheep, 
Merino; manufactural standing of wool, good; price, 16 cents per 
pound; number of creameries, 2; cheese factories, 2. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



181 



Estimated amount and value of butter and cheese manufactured, 
1 891 and 1S92: 



1891 



1892 



Butter, pounds 
Butter, value . 
Cheese, pounds 
Cheese, value . 



200,000 

$ 40,000 

20.000 

I 2,000 



250,000 

; 50,000 

30,000 
$ 3,000 



Profit per cow per season for butter, f 21. 

There are three roller flouring mills in the county, with a capacity 
of 100 barrels per day. Capital invested, 145,000. Yuma county 
offers inducements for a canning factory, beet sugar factory, broom 
factory, woolen mills and other establishments useful in a farming 
community. 

Among the special inducements offered to home seekers are the 
healthful climate, cheap and excellant land for homestead entry, 
easy farming with profitable cr©ps, and with the same amount of 
capital used in the east for rental the farmer can own his own home. 




132 THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Forestry. 



THE timber lands comprise 10,630,000 acres, and the greatest 
extent of the more useful timbers grow upon the mountain sides, 
in the valleys and upon the high rolling plateaus. A spur of 
the Rocky Mountains, known as the North and South Divide, which 
extends over fifty miles into the mid-eastern part is covered with pine, 
and another large timbered tract extends through the southern por- 
tions of Las Aanimas and Baca counties, while some of the best tim- 
bers are found in the south-western part, in Archuleta and La Plata 
counties, and some of the largest forests exist in the northern portion 
of the State. The most useful timbers for general purposes are the 
yellow and white pine and white spruce, and all these are abundant. 
White and yellow pines are the predominant species and are used 
extensively in building, entering largely into general superstructure, 
and are used almost exclusively in the wooden buildings of the" 
smaller towns and cities. Pinon, which" grows promiscuously, is 
largely used for fuel and the production of charcoal. Cottonwood, 
oak, cherry and other timbers of small growth and less value occupy 
the borders of the small streams. Large areas of the quakingasp 
cover the high mountains with a dense growth, generally replacing 
the coniferous trees where they have been destroyed by fire. Small 
stunted junipers cover the high plateaus of South-western Colorado. 
The lower mountain slopes and the south-eastern piart of the State 
furnish coarse lumber suitable for railroad ties, for fuel and timber 
for mining purposes. 

Colorado is furnished with a most delightful variety and luxurious 
growth of ornamental trees and shrubbery. Of the evergreens, 
twenty-one varieties have been counted. The favorite varieties of 
evergreens are the blue, red and Engleman spruces, the blue, red and 
white cedars and junipers. Among the native pines are the yellow 
and pondorosa varieties, popularly used for decorating lawns. Of 
other trees and plants that grow in Colorado, chiefly as trans-plants, 
are the elm, honey locust, cut-leaf maple, pimple-leaf elm, lantel. 
leaf willow, the Norway sugar maple, the catalpa, the kempseri, the 
linden, the mountain ash, the balm of Gilead, the weeping willow, 
the black cherry and the red oak. 

A deep interest has been awakened in timber culture, and apart 
from the numerous orchards that have been planted in all fruit-grow- 
ing sections of the State, considerable efforts have been made to cul- 
tivate forest trees on the plains. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 183 



Gems of Colorado. 



GEMS and precious stones are abundant in the mountains of Colo- 
rado, and every mining town is a market for them. In Denver 
and other cities they sparkle in the show windows of the jew- 
eler and form a part of the stock in the museums and curio establish- 
ments The labor involved in the collection, dressing and mounting 
of these stones has given rise to an industry of considerable import- 
ance The varieties are very numerous, embracing almost all the 
glittering beauties of the world, including the sparkling crystals that 
flitter like the diamond. The topaz, of all colors, and the agate are 
Lbably the most numerous of all precious stones. The Colorado 
rubies are regarded as the most beautiful. In some Po-'t;^"^ ^f^^^ 
State garnet crystals are found weighing from one ounce to three or 
four pounds. The aqua marine, of a light blue or sea S^^een color is 
found at an altitude of 12,000 to 14.000 feet, varymg m size from one 
i°ch to four inches in length, and one tenth of an inch to one inch 
in diameter Phenacite, of the colorless, transparent variety, is found 
: oTsIderable quantit'y U is one of the most brilliant s ones 
known, occasionally showing prismatic colors by artific al light 
The topaz in its various colors, has been found of such quality 
IndsSas'tlvary in price from 50 cents to |ioo each. The zercon 
is a gem sometimes known as jargon or jargoon, jacinth or true 
hyacin h. These are among the most beautiful crystals known 
owtng to their transparency, brilliancy and perfection. Among other 
cZZ stones found in abundance are the opals, amazon stones, the 
sapphires green spinnels, etc. Semi-precious stones, such as smoky 
t^pL cSngorm, chalcedony, agate, moss agate, yellow, brown and red 
TasSr blood stone or heliotrope, cornelian, cats-eye, onyx, sardonyx, 
ock crystal, agatized or petrified wood. etc.. all found in considera 
bl quantities. ^These gems in their different forms are used or set^ 
tings in all kinds of jewelry, for paper weights, charms, cabmets and 
ornaments of many descriptions. 



184 THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Commercial and Manufactural Minerals. 



OF minerals that are cassed as manufactural and commercial, 
there is such a variety and abundance, and so distributed 
among the counties that to enumerate or locate them would 
exceed the possibility of sufficient space in this work. In these re- 
sources alone it is said the State possesses wealth sufficient for the 
maintenance of its population. These materials are used at all man- 
ufacturing points in the State, and yet it can scarcely be discovered 
that the immense deposits, so numerous, have been disturbed. The 
leading materials are such as fire-clays of all varieties, kaolin, silica, 
gypsum, lime, cement, clays for pressed brick, mineral paints, mica, 
asbestos, mercury, native cryolite, sulphur, dolomite, graphite, car- 
bonate of soda, zinc, kalomite, cinnabar, bismite, and hundreds of 
minerals with a confusion of technical names, familiar only to the 
chemist and mineralogist, all having their uses and their value, and all 
to be reckoned among the immense resources of the State. 



Apiary. 



BEE culture has grown within the past few years from an experi- 
ment to a business of considerable profit. The possibilities of 
honey production are without limit. Alfalfa, so abundantly 
grown in all parts of the State, is unrivalled as a honey-making 
plant, and would alone be sufficient, but there are the red clovers, the 
sweet clovers, in great abundance; fruit blooms of all kinds are be- 
coming more plentiful with the advancement of fruit culture,., while 
endless varieties of wild flowers bestrew the mountains and the 
plains. From a recent small beginning it is estimated that there are 
now 6,000 colonies of bees in the State, producing upwards of 300,- 
000 pounds of honey, of the finest quality. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 185 



One Advantage of a Dry Country. 



PEOPLE living remote from the arid regions, who have never seen 
an irrigating ditch and know but little about the processes or the 
superior benefits of irrigation, have a feeling which is quite nat- 
ural, that they would not like to live in a country where they cannot 
seethe rain. But this is an erroneous impression which may be cor- 
rected. We have an annual season of rain, which comes at a time of 
the year when most needed and lasts long enough to be enjoyable. 
During these periods it rains frequently and in great abundance. 
After the rainy season then comes the dry part of summer with its 
constant flood of brilliant sunlight. It is during this part of the sum- 
mer that the irrigating canals are brought into service. It often 
occurs that during the dry season in Colorado, there is a drouth in 
many of the Eastern States and crops are parched and destroyed. 
But with the irrigating system in Colorado no such thing is possible. 
On the contrary, whether the rain comes in season or comes not at 
all, there is never such a thing as failure of the crops, while the farmer 
can so use the water that he can manage the thrift of his crop, pro- 
longing its growth or causing it to ripen at a time to suit the necessi- 
ties of harvest. The dry weather is regarded as neither disagreeable 
nor an inconvenience, but on the contrary it gives one immunity 
from the caution that is always necessary to protect one from the 
uncertain elements in rainy countries. And again there is immunity 
from the inconvenience and the disagreeable features of moving 
about, whether on foot or by conveyance in mud and raiu, for full 
one-third of the year. The feeling of freedom which experience 
brings in Colorado is that we do not wish to be bothered with the 
fickle elements of the east that bring in their train inconvenience, 
disappointments and delays in every business or social plan or under- 
taking. Here we can always rely upon our weather, having no fear 
of the latter rains of summer, and enjoying a sunny sky throughout 
the delightful months of autumn, with none of those long, wet 
gloomy periods that prevail throughout the valleys of the Eastern 
half of the continent. 



286 THE INDUSTRIES AND 



The Water Supply. 



IT has been the experience of Colorado's settlers as they advance 
in industrial development, that all things requisite for their wel- 
fare develop themselves always in the time of need. It may be 
assured that the mountains of the State contain sufficient water to 
irrigate all occupied agricultural lands for many years to come. 
Should the present means of utilizing these waters fall short, the 
measures are already on foot to supply the deficiency. Numerous 
reservoirs have within the past few years been constructed in the 
mountains, at the foot-hills and at various points far out upon the 
plains. There are many similar projects going forward, looking to 
the future. Some of these reservoirs are of enormous size, contaiu- 
ing a supply for many thousands of acres. For the most part these 
new projects are located in new and sparsely settled portions, where 
it is certain the beauty of the country and the great fertility of soil 
will attract the future settler in Colorado. These reservoirs are con- 
structed for the purpose of storing water in winter, and also to catch 
and save the waste waters of summer. Thus they replenish the irri- 
gating ditches when they are exhausted during the dry season. There 
is sufficient water in the mountains to supply all the reservoirs that 
may be constructed for many years to come. It has long been the 
aim of the Federal Government to establish such reservoirs through- 
out the arid region. But the impatient energy and enterprise of 
Colorado's people cannot await the slow process of National legisla- 
tion. Already by individual effiart some of the most gigantic enter- 
prises of the kind have been completed and the water will be availa- 
ble in 1893. It is maintained by scientific authorities that underneath 
all these great plains is a vast subteranean lake, and it has been often 
suggested that this body of water would be our final recourse. 
Should such a necessity ever arise, no one need be impatient or 
doubtful about the means to be employed in bringing this water to 
the surface. All that is necessary is to trust to the genius and 
indomitable will of the American people to accomplish anything 
that has about it the shadow of remotest possibility. Both the inven- 
tion of the means and the work of bringing water out of the depths 
to irrigate the plains will be an easy matter whenever the time comes 
that it is necessary for the welfare of man. However, with present 
provisions, there is a supply for the future millions of population. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 187 



The Leeal Distribution of Water. 



THE water of the State is the property of the people. Under the 
law, a company, or an individual constructing a ditch from a 
natural stream, is considered a common carrier, and, under the 
law, may receive a certain amount of money for conveying this water 
from its natural bed out over the country to certain tracts of land. 

"The first ditch to appropriate water from any natural stream, said 
ditch having filed a statement of this fact with the county clerk, is 
entitled, whenever there is any scarcity of water in that stream, to 
the first right of the water, and in concession as they follow, other 
ditches are entitled to their proportionate supply. These are called 
"priorities." . . 

By the laws of the State, the first ditch constructed has a priority 
right to the water appropriated, and no canal tapping the stream 
nearer its service can divert the water of the older ditch. The laws 
provide for measurement, proof of quantity and date of appropria- 
tion, so that there may be no controversy as to whom the water right- 
fully belongs. Every equitable safeguard which experience suggests 
is made to protect the rights of those who invest in these enterprises. 
The rate to be charged for water by the year is regulated by the 
board of county commissioners for each county, and the law com- 
pels a ditch company to give water to any applicant at the price 
established by the board of county commissioners, whenever the 
water commissioner of that water district shall determine that there 
is more water in the ditch than has already beeu purchased, leased 

or delivered. 

There is both the perpetual and the rental water-right plan in 
vogue in Colorado. Rentals range from $1.50 to $2.50 an inch per 
season. Fifty statutory inches are considered sufficient to irrigate 80 
acres of land, or according to other measurements, 1.44 cubic feet 
under a 5-inch pressure per second of time, will convey sufficient 
water to cover 80 acres of land. 

The perpetual rights vary from $10 to I12.50 for enough water to 
cover an acre of land forever. In addition to this price, which gives 
perpetual right to the water for a certain number of acres mentioned, 
companies charge from 50 cents to $1.25 an acre per year to maintain 
a canal and pay its operating expenses. 

The new-comer, seeking a home-farm, naturally locates his land, 
first contiguous to the stream from which he may take out his own 
ditch, and second, contiguous to a ditch already built. In the first 
instance, he absolutely controls his own water supply from the 
stream, and in the second instance, he joins a co-operative associa- 



188 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

tion, so to speak, who divide among themselves the water passing 
through the ditch, whence they expect to receive their supply. In 
the first instance, the locator builds and maintains his own canal, or 
ditch; in the second instance, he buys his water, and pays someone 
else for maintaining the ditch. 



Sources of Revenue. 



Following is an abstract of assessments, rate of taxation, etc., 
showing the assessed and estimated real valuation of the property of 
the State for 1892: 

ASSESSED VALUATION OF LIVE-STOCK, 1 892. 



Number.* 



assessed 
Valuation. 



Cattle 

Horses 

Mules 

Asses 

Sheep , 

Swine 

Goats 

All other animals . 



Total assessed valuation of live-stock 
Estimated real valuation 



696,839 

197,470 

9,701 

2,946 

693,249 

21,586 

3,. 336 

9,170 



$ 5,470,741 

4,765,611 

382,614 

22,838 

743,582 

48,992 

3,882 

29,761 



$11,418,021 
34,254,063 



*The number of cattle should be increased over assessor's returns by one-third 
the nuinber of horses should be advanced to 125,000, and sheep to 1,500,000, accord- 
ing to official estimates of the Cattle Grower's Association. 

ACREAGE AND ASSESSED VALUATION OF LANDS, 1892. 



[Assessed Valua- 
tion.* 



Agfricultural lands 

Grazing lands 

Coal lands 

Improvements on public lands 

Improvements on lands 

Town and city lots and improvements . 



3,6.36 242 

8,327 015 

59,053 



23 295,207 
13 336,353 
2,589,623 
1,428,392 
6,203,659 
87,195,757 



Totals , 



12,022,310 



54,048,991 



♦The above figures represent about one-third of estimated real value. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 189 

MISCELI-ANEOUS. 

* Assessed valuation. 

Assessed x-aluation of mining property and gross output I ''llj''^! 

Amount of capital employed in manufactures ,. q,'s?«v« 

Assessed valuation of railroads. (4,6r>7.(X5 miles instate) . . . •.•••• ^l.STH.s^ 
Assessed valuation of telegraph and telephone lines. (•!, 944 miles m State) 266.185 

Assessed valuation of merchandise, diamonds; jewelry, gold and silver ^^^ ^^ 

plate, etc 2is'043 

Clocks and watches . . . . . •■•;■•,• .: i r/r'aa 

Bank stock, money and credits, (bankstock or shares) io^'i^ 

Amount ofmoney and credits ■ • • • ; ". " ' " ' inun'nnft 

Vehiclesof every description. (41.906) • • • • ^'VS^'Y^ 

Musical instruments, (9,381) 867 115 

Household property „ «qq'o<ii 

All other property _^^688^ 

Total » '^-^^^'^"^^ 

♦The mileage of railroads, telegraph and telephone wires Is correctly reported, 
and the assessment is made according to fixed rates per mile. For all other articles 
under this head the figures representing valuation may be multiplied by three to 
obtain an estimate of real valuation. 

RATE OF STATE TAXATION. 

The general revenue levy, applied to each county in the State 
(1S91-92) was 2ii mills, the general and special levies being distributed 

as follows: 

General revenue levy ^ ""?? "^Vu 

Mute and blind levy /\ ™ 

University levy Y/ ml 

Agricultural college levy fi ™"} 

School of Mines levy /« ™ } 

Insane asylum levy itis mills 

Stock inspection levy u^ill 

Capital building levy fj ™ } 

Normal school levy ^ ™ 

Ute war debt levy o it ,^iic 

Interest on capital building bonds levy ^-^^ ™i"s 

Military poll tax per capita • • • ■./An na 

Total tax levied (1892). I I'g^'^^ 51 

Total assessed valuation ^3t),»»4,«» lo 

Following is the estimated general revenue fund income for the 
fiscal years 1893-94. In making this estimate the State Auditor states 
officially that it is made upon a basis of one-third of the actual valua- 
tion, as has been the rule in the past: 

Assessment of 1893. estimated $ ?^^^'S!i^ m 

Assessmentof 1894. estimated 2o5.000,000 W 

Y^^g, $ 500,000,000 00 

Total tax collectable each year J 1,124,166 70 

Fees from Secretary- of State, two years I 1*^,000 

Insurance department 70 mo 

• Interest on deposits ir'noo 

Receipts from all other sources I3,wu 

Total > 290.000 00 

Total estimated income of revenue $ 1,414,166 70 

INCREASE IN VAI.UATION. 

The following shows the increase in the assessed valuation of prop- 
erty in the State for the eight years from 1885 to 1892: 

1889 $ 193.254,127 38 

1890 220,544,064 62 

1891 231,405,296 04 



1885 $ 115.420,130 90 

122;; 124,269,710 06 

1887 ■ ■ ■ ■ 141.823,6H4 87 

1888 ! ! 168,812,246 93 



1892 238,884,449 48 



190 



THE INDUSTRIES AND 



Rate of Wages. 



The schedule of wages paid in Colorado in the various branches 
of manual skilled labor is higher in most instances than the wages 
for similar vocations in other states, while in recent years by the 
home production of many of the necessaries, the cost of living has 
been appreciably reduced. 



SCHEDULE OF WAGES PAID IN COLORADO, 
TRADES, ETC. 



1892. 



PER DAY 

Awning makers $2.50 

Barbers 1 65 to $3.00 

Bakers 2.25 to 3.00 

Bench hands (woodworkers) 2.25 to 3 00 

Blacksmiths 2.50 to 3 hO 

Blacksmith helpers .... 1.75 to 2.50 

Boiler makers 3 00 to 4.00 

Boiler makers' helpers . . 1.75 to 2.75 

Boot and shoe makers . . 2.50 to 3.25 

Bookbinders 3.00 

Brewers 2.60 to 4.00 

Bricklayers 3.50 to 5.00 

Brick moulders 2 50 to 3.50 

Brick laborers 2 75 to 3. 25 

Broom makers 1 50 to 2.50 

Butchers 2.50 

Cabinet makers 2.50 to 3.50 

Carpenters 2.75 to 3 00 

Carriage makers 2..50to 3.00 

Cigarmakers 2.00 to 4 00 

Compositors (regular) week 15.00 to 20.00 

Carriage painters 2 00 to 4.00 

Cooks (with meals) .... 1.50 to 5.00 

Coopers . ....... 8.00 

Cornice makers ...»•... 3.00 to 8.50 

Engravers 8. 50 

Grainers 5.(X) 

Granite cutters 4 00 

Harness makers 2 00 to 2 50 

Hatters 2.50 to 3 00 

Hodcarriers 2.75 to 3.00 



PER DAY 

Horseshoers $2 50 to $3.50 

House painters 2.7.5 

Iron moulders 8.25 to 3.50 

Laundrymen 1 65 to 2.50 

Lead glazers 2 50 to 8.00 

Linemen 3 00 

Macaroni makers 1 75 to 2.00 

Marble cutters and polishers 3 00 



Millers 
Machine woodworkers 
Machinists .... 
Paperhaneers . . , 
Pattern makers . , 

Plasterers 

Plumbers ... 
Printing pressmen 
Sign painters. . . 
Soapmakers .... 
Soapmakers' helpers 
Steam and gas fitters 
Stone cutters . . . 
Stone masons . . . 
Stationery engineers 
Stereotypers .... 

Tailors 

Tile layers 

Tinsmiths 

Upholsterers .... 
Waiters (with meals) 
Watchmakers . . . 



2 50 to 3.00 

2 25 to 3.25 
2.50 to 3.50 
3.00 to 3.25 
3.25 

3.50 to 4.50 

3.00 to 4.50 

3 00 to 3.50 
2.75 to 4.00 
3.00 to 6 00 
2.00 to 3.00 
3 50 to 4.00 
3.45 to 4.75 
4.00 

2.00 to 3.75 

3 50 

2.00 to 3.50 

4.00 

2.00 to 3.25 

300 

100 to 2.00 

2 50 to 6 00 



CLERICAL LABPR. 

Retail clerks and salesmen $10 to $ 25 per week. 

Shoe clerks 12 to 20 " 

Dry goods clerks 6 to 20 " 

Office clerks 10 to 20 " 

Clerks in Federal and State offices 75 to 100 per month 

Typewriters and stenographers 50 to 100 " 

Hotel clerks (including board) • • • 30 to 75 " 

Bank clerks (average) 60 to 100 " 

Time keepers 75 " 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

Ranch hands (average, with board) $^5 per month. 

Laborers 1.50 to $2 00 per day. 

Teamsters 40 to $60 per month. 

Janitors 40 to 90 " 

Porters 40 to 75 " 

Quarrymen 2.25 per day. 

Quarry foremen 8. .50 per day. 

Coal miners' wages differ in different localities, ranging from $2.60 to 
$3 00 per day; $12 to $24 per week; 50, 65 and 75 cents per ton. 

Cable car gripmen and conductors 20 to 25 cents per hour. 

Electric car motorneers and conductors . . 17J4 to 25 cents per hour. 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. 



191 



The daily earnings of men employed in and about metalliferous 
mines differ according to locality and nature of work. In some 
camps miners earn from I3.50 to I4.50; average range, $3.00 to $3.50 
per day. Foremen in mines receive from $4.00 ta I7.00 per day, 
•while "top" men receive from I2.25 to $3.00 per day. 

FEMALE WAGE EARNERS. 



OCCUPATIONS. 



i WAGES— PER WEEK. 
I LOWEST. I HIGHEST. 



MUHners 

Milliners, foreladies . . . 

Dressmakers 

Dressmakers, foreladies . . 

Saleswomen 

Seamstresses 

Typewriters 

Telegraph operators .... 

Office clerks 

Cashiers 

Cash girls 

Bookkeepers 

Shirt makers 

Laundry workers 

Factory girls 

Domestics (with board) . . 
Chambermaids (with board) 
Supernumeraries (theaters) 

Laundresses 

Confectionery workers . . . 




1.5 00 
2.5 00 
13 00 
25 00 
12 00 

9 00 
18 00 
1.5 00 
15 00 
15 00 

2 50 
15 00 
10 00 

600 

7 50 

8 00 
5 00 
7 00 

10 00 
600 



Number of females actively engaged in various occupations and 
dependant thereon for livelihood, 15,752, including teachers and 
other professionals and exclusive of amateurs. 



Summary of Advantages. 

The combination of industries in Colorado form a very surprising 
summary of inducements for parmanent residence in this State. In 
its unlimited resource of gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, oil, coal, 
marble and stone, we find the material that forms the basis of diversi- 
fied employment for a large population. 

In the fertile soil of millions of acres of land yet unoccupied there 
is the assurance of a great agricultural future. 

For manufacture the raw material exists in an abundance beyond 
the possibility of computation, while the State occupies a position 
that will make it the manufacturing center of the great west. 

It possesses rare advantages for the live stock industry in all de- 
partments, and especially is it adapted to the breeding of blooded 
horses and fine cattle. 

Fruits of all kinds indigenous to the temperate zone grow in many 
parts of the State, most prolific, luscious and beautiful. This will 
become one of the greatest industries of the State. 



192 THE INDUSTRIES AND 

The climate is uniformly mild and healthful, and has a world- 
wide fame for its curative virtues in lung diseases and many other 
human ills. 

Colorado has many delightful health and pleasure resorts located 
in portions of the State where hot and cold mineral springs abound. 

Under the system of irrigation there are no crop failures in Colo- 
rado, and the long dry spells which in the East become destructive 
drouths pass by unnoticed. 

The storms are seldom of a destructive character and cyclones are 
unknown in this country. 

In summer and winter we have immunity from the extremes of 
heat and cold, while cool nights prevail throughout the warmest 
season. 

To all these natural advantages must be added the excellence and 
high standard of social life in Colorado. Scarcely a relic of pioneer 
or border methods remain, while an order of civilization, which is 
more than all else conspicuous for its intelligence, refinement and 
progressive achievements prevails. The State is abundantly supplied 
with schools, churches and all institutions for the preservation of 
good government. No State in the Union can claim more splendid 
school buildings or a greater number of them in proportion to popu- 
lation, while the church edifices are no where in the Nation excelled 
for their magnificence. Nowhere in the world can be found a greater 
degree of intelligence among the poor, while the higher classes are 
drawn from all parts of the civilized world, bringing with them their 
education, their refinements and their accomplishments. Taking the 
State all in all, there is a greater proportion of educated poor and a 
less percentage of dependent ones among them than in any State of 
the Union. As an aggregatiofi, whether rich or poor, the number 
of proportionately bright men and women, of broad intelligence and 
high attainments in the intellectual world is not exceeded in the 
scholarly cities of fame in America. 

Thus one of the editorial writers on a leading Denver daily paper 
draws a pen picture of Colorado, present and prospective: "We 
stand almost on the threshold of a new century. The work of nearly 
four decades looms up against the background of the past, clear and 
distinct, even as you have seen the mountain peaks outlined against 
the amber light of evening. Soon a new century will dawn. Beyond 
the veil which hides the future I see a great State rising into promi- 
nence — far famed for her wealth of natural resources, for her indus- 
tries as varied as human skill, for her commerce penetrating all por- 
tions of the continent, for her laws in which are reflected the intelli. 
gence, the justice, the humanity of her people. Firm as the granite 
bases of her mountains are the foundations of her social and indus- 
trial systems. Down deep beneath peak and mountain range sturdy 
men are mining for precious ore, for iron and for coal ; at heated 
furnaces they stand, pouring out the molten streams of metal; at loom 
and spindle and forge they are fashioning the crude material into . 



RESOURCES OF COLORADO. ;193 

articles of use and commerce. Across the plain, through the valleys, 
threading narrow caiions, clinging to precipitous cliffs, surmounting 
dangerous mountain passes are shining rails of steel which carry the 
travel and traffic of an enterprising, prosperous and industrious 
people. Highly cultivated and productive farms and gardens and 
orchards lend to the landscape an air of thrift and beauty, and illus- 
trate the beneficent results of an intelligent system of irrigation. 
Everywhere within her broad domain exist the evidences of a refined, 
cultured, progressive civilization. This is the Colorado of the future, 
which shall be peerless among commonwealths, the renown of whose 
prosperity shall fill the whole earth, and whose proud people shall 
sway the destinies of the republic even to the remotest generation." 




EXPLANATORY. 



Under the head "True Development of Agriculture," on page lo, 
the available cultivable areas are stated as follows: Acres of highly- 
productive lands accessible to water, 4,082,738; acres irrigated and 
under cultivation, 1,844,500. In the manner of presenting these fig- 
ures (not in the figures themselves) there is an apparent exaggera- 
tion. By official measurements the water supply and the canals 
constructed are sufficient for the irrigation of 4,082,738 acres of culti- 
vable land. Of this vast area 1,844, 500 acres ^^^ at present under ditch, 
and immediately available for tillage, while there are approximately 
1,000,000 acres under cultivation by irrigation, leaving another approx- 
imate million acres under ditch open to settlement and at once avail- 
able for agriculture. Added to this are many scattered areas aggre- 
gating unknown millions of acres where the land can be successfully 
tilled without artificial irrigation. Hundreds of thousands of these 
acres are under cultivation in field and meadow, and thus the total 
area of irrigated and non-irrigated lands under cultivation is unoffi- 
cially estimated at more than 1,500,000 acres. 



INDEX. 



PAGE 

Agriculture 6-24 

The first croj^s 8 

True Development of Agriculture 10 

Distribution of Agricultural areas 11 

Northern Colorado 12 

The Arkansas Valley 14 

Division of the Rio Grande 14 

The Western Slope . . . : 15 

Green River Division iS 

The San Juan Division 19 

In Southern Colorado 20 

Eastern Colorado 21 

"The Divide" 22 

Isolated Areas 22 

Prices of Land . 23 

Average yield per acre 23 

Colorado's Agricultural Exhibit at the World's Fair ... 23 

A Great Railway Center 59 

Apiary 1S4 

Alfalfa 65 

City of Denver 69S6 

Advantages of location 69 

Past and Present ^o 

Population and Industrial Growth 72 

Real Estate 74 

Buildings 76 

Assessed Valuation 77 

The Banks of Denver 7^ 

Commercial 7S 

Live-Stock Center 79 

Coal and Iron 79 

Public Improvement • • 79 

As a Convention City 80 

Street Railways 80 

The Churches 80 

Schools of Denver 8r 

Charitable Institutions 8i 

Climate and Health 82 

The Newspapers 83 

Commercial Organization 84 

Its Social Life 85 



196 INDEX. 

PAGE 

CUMATE AND HEALTH 49-53 

Weather Statistics 52 

Health, and Pleasure Resorts 52 

Colorado Son. 27 

Colorado's Great Coal Fields 45 

commerclii asd m axttf actttr a l minerals 184 

Cost of Living 56 

Educational Advantages 54 

Forestry 182 

Fruit Growing 29 

Gems of Colorado 1S3 

Hunting and Fishing 6S 

Industries of Colorado 4 

Irrigation 24 

Iron Resources of Colorado 57 

Manufacturing in Colorado 55 

One Advan-tage of a Dry Country 1S5 

Petroleum 66 

POUXTRY 67 

Rate of Wages 190 

Sources of Re\'Enue 188 

State School Lands 28 

Stone and Marble 46 

Summary of Advantages 191 

The Counties 87-181 

The Dairy 64 

The Legal Distribution of Wateb. 187 

The Live Stock Industry 46 

The Mining Industry 31 

The Water Supply 186 

Trips for the Tourist 66 

Explanatory 190 



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